Interesting Times
by Lessa3
Summary: The Second Hand of Time has been destroyed, yet the weirdness continues. The Niwa know something is wrong, but only one person has the knowledge to help them discover what. Alternate ending for anime, rated for language, violence, suicide. Slash SatDai.
1. Prologue

ASN (Author's sister, otherwise known as Ryn's, note): Wow, it's been a while.

AN: But we have a wonderful excuse!

ASN: We've been working on an EPIC. And we've branched out into something other than Artemis Fowl.

AN: sulky Only because she wouldn't let me write that AF/HP crossover.

ASN: sigh That's because we **needed** to branch out. Anyway, this is our DNAngel EPIC. The story is pretty much complete, so it will have regular updates. Probably Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday.

AN: Unless we're feeling evil. Or we forget due to exams and theses and other college-related crap.

ASN: This EPIC—

AN: Why do you keep saying 'epic' like that?

ASN: Cause it took us months to write, and it's long (fair warning guys, over 50 chapters). Besides, it's more fun to say it like that. And watch you twitch.

AN: sigh

ASN: Anyway, this EPIC basically follows anime canon, with the tiny addition of the cross-dressing scene from volume 3 of the manga.

AN: Because it's too much fun not to use.

ASN: This story essentially begins right after the Second Hand of Time arc and rewrites the last two episodes.

AN: Because they **sucked**.

ASN: Indeed they did. And now for the obligatory warnings: This EPIC is rated PG 13 for language, minor violence, and suicide references. This story will deal with the relationship between Satoshi and Daisuke—

AN: Such as it is…

ASN: Yes, thank you. And, not to ruin the story for you, it will become increasingly slash-y as the relationship between Satoshi and Daisuke changes—

AN: To what it should be! yay

ASN: blinks at insane sister

AN: smiles innocently

ASN: RIGHT then, you have been warned. Enjoy.

AN: Wait wait wait! You forgot the two most important things!

ASN: Oh, right. Of course. Disclaimer: DNAngel is not ours. It belongs to Yukiru Sugisaki. turns to sister What was the other one?

AN: Our rabid—I mean, **devoted** betas.

ASN: Of course. We dedicate this EPIC to our three betas. Without their undying support and unending harassment, this story may never have reached its full potential. We couldn't have done it without you.

AN: You can stop beating us now.

**Interesting Times**

**Prologue—Hikari Akio**

Once upon a time, there was a clan of artists who suffered from the sin of pride.

Once upon a time, there was a clan of thieves. Their sin was the same.

The Hikari, the ice-hunters, my clan, are artists without equal. Perfection is our only goal, and we pursue it with single-minded intensity. The Hikari pour a little of their souls into each artwork they create, and our spirit gives the art power.

The Niwa are thieves whose passion for art drives them to steal that which they deem worthy. The worthiest of all art is the art of the Hikari, and nothing we could do could prevent the Niwa from taking the best of our work.

For taking what is ours, we, the Hikari, hate the Niwa with an icy passion matched only by our drive to create new and better art.

The story began over three hundred years ago, with one Hikari Taro and one Niwa Yuudai. They were both the same age, both the best that their clans had produced thus far. And they were both in love with the same girl. The girl chose Taro. Although popular theory assumes her choice was made when she could not accept that the Niwa was a thief, history does not reveal the true reason for her choice, only the consequences.

In his arrogance and heady, triumphant passion, Taro was not satisfied with merely imbuing his art with power. To truly impress his love, he led the rest of the clan in creating a supreme artwork, the masterwork of the Hikari. They planned to make an artwork that would truly be alive. It would be called the Black Wings.

When Niwa Yuudai heard about the Hikari masterwork, he knew it would be an artwork without compare to anything else in the world. In his arrogance and furious, rejected passion, he set out to steal it.

During the ceremony in which the Hikari were investing the Black Wings with life, the Niwa master thief slipped in to steal the work at the very moment of Hikari triumph. As soon as he touched the piece, however, he disturbed the delicate balance of dark and light, good and evil. The life of the Black Wings was split in two, and entered the closest vessels: the Hikari master artist and the Niwa master thief.

And thus Dark and Krad were born, from love and pride and rejection.

The two beings possessed their hosts, becoming phantom thief and thief hunter. Whenever the two halves met, battles ensued that left both hosts drained and injured, as well as portions of the countryside in ruin.

Confronted with the power of the two beings, separate and apart, the Hikari of that time finally realized their sin and folly. The power of the Black Wings, even split and set against itself, was extraordinary. In their pride, they had unleashed a being too powerful to control, and the Black Wings could not be counted on to be benevolent. The ceremony could never be completed. The two beings must remain separate. At least separate, the two halves were weaker, and their Tamers had some semblance of control. Should the ceremony be completed and the Black Wings brought to life, death and devastation beyond comprehension could occur.

The Hikari of that time realized that the Black Wings could not be destroyed; Dark and Krad gave it too much power. Those Hikari sealed it, and hid it away where it could not be found. Not even the Niwa have been able to locate it.

When Niwa Yuudai found a love that accepted him, as well as the being that he carried within him, Dark lost his vessel.

Hikari Taro committed suicide, after the murderously possessive being within him strangled the girl he loved, and Krad lost his vessel.

Both beings drifted in time, waiting for a new generation of Niwa and Hikari so that the cycle could begin again.

As decades passed and generations suffered from the manifestation and possession of their mysterious curses, knowledge about the appearance of Dark and Krad was slowly obtained. Today, we believe that we finally understand the manifestation.

The Niwa males, when their love is rejected by the girl they care for, suffer a change in their genetic makeup and become the host of the phantom thief Dark. Feelings of love cause them to change into Dark. Only when the girl they love returns their feelings and accepts the Niwa as he is does Dark disappear for another generation.

We Hikari are similar. Care and love and the softer feelings trigger the same transformation in us, but with much harsher consequences than the appearance of a harmless though irritating phantom thief. The first appearance of Krad is often triggered soon after the appearance of Dark, drawn out of limbo by the thief's reemergence.

The two beings are halves of one larger being and have to be in balance. If one appears, the other soon follows. If Dark vanishes due to the death of his host or when the host's love accepts him, Krad vanishes soon after. They are driven to defeat each other, yin and yang, eternal opponents.

The only way to break the curse and end the cycle, most Hikari believe, would be to seal one of the halves forever. Since the two halves have to remain in balance, these Hikari believe that if Dark could be caught and sealed away forever, then Krad would be trapped in timelessness as well.

However, Krad cannot be sealed by our clan, for the simple reason that he will not allow us to do so. We tried to seal Krad, once, at the beginning of the century. An entire branch of the clan was destroyed in Krad's anger, and his then-Tamer died in the backlash.

The chances of the Niwa being able to seal Krad are so slight as to be ludicrous.

The goal of the single-minded Hikari clan has shifted from creating art to capturing and sealing Dark.

But I believe that there is another way.


	2. Chapter 1

Part 1: Late September and October

**Chapter 1**

Hiwatari Satoshi was not looking forward to the rest of the evening.

Dark had come and gone already, triumphant…leaving disbelief, frustration, and dozens of tedious chores that had to be accomplished before the night was out. Satoshi was currently attending to one such chore – securing the grounds of the museum.

Even though the job was usually left to grunts and those who had fallen out of favor with Detective Saehara, Satoshi always joined in. It was a chance to get away from the imbeciles and stupid questions, a chance to take a breath and figure out exactly what had gone wrong _this_ time around.

A chance to get all aspects of himself under control.

_You know_, Krad admonished, _I could have helped a great deal tonight._

_Helped cause a fiasco, perhaps,_ Satoshi retorted. _I didn't need you._

_Now, Satoshi-sama…_

_You went too far during that incident with the Second Hand of Time, _Satoshi told his curse sharply. _The twins realized that you live within me…only Dark's interference with their memories has protected us. The entire situation was handled badly. _

_They were the ones spying. _

_No matter. None of it should have happened. _

_Satoshi-sama, it's not my fault you could not keep me trapped, _Krad said, obviously amused. _The opportunity arose for me to attack Dark; I took it. A shame you do not do the same. _

_I do everything in my power to capture Dark – _

_Then why do you continue to fail?_ Krad pressed.

_I – _

"Hiwatari-kun?" a voice interrupted. Surprised, Satoshi spun around with inhuman speed, almost Dark-like in his reflexes. Harada Risa jumped back, stifling a shriek. "Don't do that! You scared me!"

"What are you doing wandering around, then?" Satoshi asked, a slight edge of irritation in his voice.

Harada looked properly chastised. "I…I was wondering if Dark-san had appeared yet."

"Yes, he's gone already." He looked at her more closely. "Why?"

She flushed and looked at the ground. He sighed. It had been obvious that Harada and Dark had been spending time together, especially when she had started showing up at all his heists in that ridiculous thief's outfit…and it had been equally obvious that they had broken it off. This was actually the first time he'd seen her at a heist in a while.

"Just curious," she said at last.

Even though he knew he shouldn't, Satoshi found himself asking her why.

"I was wondering how he was…doing. I haven't seen him in a while," she finished lamely.

Satoshi examined her closely, then sighed. "You were wondering if Dark had found another girl for his attentions?" he said simply.

She flushed deeper and didn't say anything. He sighed again. "I haven't see him paying attention to any particular girl, Harada…but Dark is a ladies' man. It's only a matter of time."

Sudden anger flashed in Harada's eyes. "He's not a ladies' man, no matter what people say! He stays true to the memory of the girl he loved!" She stopped, a look of horror crossing her face as she realized what she had let slip.

Satoshi took a step closer. "Could you…repeat that, Harada?" he asked carefully.

She drew herself up and put her hands on her hips. "Dark-san fell in love a long time ago, and he may flirt now, but he doesn't really mean it. He won't forget her. He's a good person, _not_ a ladies' man, and you don't know him, so you don't have _any_ right to judge him!"

Keeping his face perfectly blank, Satoshi considered her words. "You may have a point, Harada," he conceded.

"And you obviously have something against Dark-san _anyway_ – what?" She stopped in the middle of her tirade and blinked at him. "I have a point?"

Satoshi's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Yes, Harada. You've given me a lot to think about. Good night." He strode away from the startled girl and continued his walk around the perimeter.

_What are you thinking about, Satoshi-sama?_ Krad queried.

_Exactly what I said—Harada had a point. I don't know Dark. _

_Who would want to?_

A small smirk briefly appeared on Satoshi's face before he composed himself again. _I know a great deal about Dark's heists. I've studied the police reports from every recorded theft Dark has ever made. But I don't know anything **about** him. Dark prides himself on being unpredictable. That's why so many of our traps have failed. Perhaps a study into his private life and his relationships with people other than the Niwa would help us be able to predict what he would do. _

Krad was not impressed. _You're grasping at straws, Satoshi-sama. _

_Perhaps,_ Satoshi admitted. _But no one's tried looking at it from this angle before. And I have a hunch. _

XXXXX

Daisuke stumbled down the stairs, dressed for school but still not fully awake. His mother was waiting for him.

"Dai-chan!" she sang. "Good morning! How did you sleep? I made your favorite breakfast, waffles with strawberries."

Instantly, Daisuke was awake and wary. "What do you want me to do now?" he asked suspiciously.

Emiko put her hand to her heart, looking pained. "Daisuke! I am shocked that you would suspect that I, your mother, would have an ulterior motive just because I wanted to fix you a good breakfast."

"You never do anything without a reason. What are you planning?" His eyes grew wide. "You didn't send out _two_ notices, did you?"

"No, just the one," she said, waving a hand, "but I still—"

"Mom! I have a test tomorrow!"

"Oh, it's a really easy piece tonight; it'll take ten minutes at most. I scheduled it early, too, so you'll have plenty of study time. Actually, I want you to stop by the library and pick up a book about this axe." She handed him a piece of paper with a sketch and a description of the weapon on it.

He blinked at her and then at the paper. "I'm stealing an axe?"

"Oh, no, not yet, we can't find it."

The conversation was rapidly becoming surreal. "Mom," he began. His grandfather stuck his head out into the hallway.

"Daisuke?" he said curiously. "Why are you still here? You're going to be late."

"Ahh!" Daisuke began to run toward the door, then doubled back and snatched a waffle off his plate. Strawberries tumbled onto the floor as he headed off, and With gleefully began to clean up the mess. "I'll talk to you later, Mom!"

"Don't forget to check out the axe!" she yelled, disregarding any neighbors that could be within earshot. "And make sure you're home by six!"

Daisuke bolted down the road. _I'm supposed to find and steal an axe we know nothing about. How weird is that?_

_I've done weirder,_ Dark volunteered from the back of his mind. _Did I ever tell you about the chicken and the egg?_

_Stop right there,_ Daisuke said firmly. _I have too much to worry about._

_Lighten up, Daisuke. The teenage years are supposed to be the best years of your life, remember?_

_Since when have I been a normal teenager?_ Daisuke responded.

_Come on, Daisuke. I make your life interesting. _

_Isn't there a curse somewhere…?_

_Oh, yeah,_ Dark told him. _"'May you live in interesting times.' One of the Hikari said that to me, once._

_Figures. _

XXXXX

Saehara came bounding up to Daisuke as soon as the class was dismissed for lunch, Nishimura trailing behind him. "Daisuke! Me and Nishimura are going to stop and get something to eat after school before heading to watch Dark's heist tonight. Do you and elder-Harada want to come?"

Riku, who had arrived just in time to hear the end of the question, made a face. "Who would want to watch that pervert steal something anyway?"

"It is my duty as class reporter to get the scoop," Saehara told her. "If I don't go, imagine how many people will be disappointed tomorrow."

"How many?' Riku responded. "Risa and…?"

"All the other girls in the class," Saehara said with a snicker. "You're the only one who doesn't swoon over Dark, elder-Harada. Why is that? Do you harbor some secret love that you want to hide?" He whipped out a notebook.

She flushed and raised her fist. Daisuke stepped between them. "I'd love to go, Saehara, but I have to run a couple errands for my mom."

"Aw, come on," Saehara wheedled. "Surely you have time to grab something quick. And you'll need your energy for those errands."

"And you can spend some time with us," Nishimura added. "We haven't gotten to talk to you much lately. You're always busy nowadays."

Daisuke could feel his resolve weakening. Riku looked at him with a smile. "Niwa-kun, it'll be fun. We should go eat with them."

He looked into Riku's eyes, and he could hear his mother scolding him in the back of his mind. "Sure."

"Yeah!" Saehara punched the air. "It's so difficult to get you to do anything, really. Are you coming to the heist, too?"

"No," Daisuke said quickly. "We have a test tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh, that's right!" Saehara said with a casual air, not missing a beat. "You were gonna lend me your notes."

"I was?" Daisuke didn't remember this. "I need them to study."

"I'll give them back."

Sighing, Daisuke handed Saehara his notebook. "You have until this afternoon."

"Guys!" Risa was standing by the doorway, waving. "Are we going outside, or just stand and talk at Niwa-kun all day?"

Daisuke grabbed Riku's hand and gave her a small smile. "We're coming." And as the group wandered outside to their usual bench, chatting away about everything and anything, Daisuke couldn't help but smile wider.

XXXXX

Satoshi had spent the entire afternoon in the library, having arrived as soon as school had let out. But now it was getting late and he had to leave, or he would be late for that night's heist. Satoshi had found nothing of interest so far, but since this was his first day of research, he hadn't really expected to. Dark had been around for centuries. It was unlikely that the key to his capture would be in the first gossip article he read.

He carefully returned all the microfilm to its proper shelf and started heading out of the library. A flash of red caught his eye as he passed the art section. He paused.

Niwa was perched on a stack of books, trying to pull out a gigantic textbook on the top shelf. Both the book on the shelf and the stack under his feet were beginning to tip precariously.

The book, which was bigger than Niwa's head, slipped off the shelf into his waiting hands, but it was apparently heavier than he had expected. He staggered from the weight, arms pinwheeling as he tried to stay balanced, and as a result, the book went flying. Niwa twisted in midair, caught the book on its way down, and landed on the floor in a crouch, breathing a sigh of relief.

Satoshi couldn't help himself. He stepped into Niwa's view and started clapping sardonically.

Daisuke jumped about a foot into the air, knocking over the stack of books he'd been standing on. He took a step backward, tripped over the fallen books, and landed on the floor.

"H-Hiwatari-kun! What are you doing here?"

"Studying," Satoshi said dryly as he extended a hand. "That's what one usually does in a library, after all…not acrobatics."

The smaller boy flushed painfully as he took Satoshi's hand and got back to his feet. "I couldn't find a stool."

"I sincerely hope that was what you were looking for," Satoshi commented, gesturing to the large book under Daisuke's arm.

Daisuke made a face. "No, it's not." He looked back up at the shelf with an expression of dismay. "I don't know how I'm going to get it back up there."

"Just leave it in one of the baskets," Satoshi told him. "They'll reshelve it for you."

"Ah!" Daisuke brightened. "I hadn't noticed them."

"So what are you looking for?" Satoshi asked, curious despite himself.

"I'm looking for some art book, but I'm not sure what it's called, how old it is, or where it's at."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow.

"It's something my mom wants," Daisuke said off-handedly, as if that explained everything. And sadly…it did.

At this point, Satoshi realized he wasn't the only one who was about to be late. "Niwa…the time."

Daisuke glanced at his watch and 'eeped.' "I'm gonna be late!"

He bolted, pausing only to carefully place the book in the nearest basket. "Thanks, Hiwatari-kun!"

With a mental sigh, Satoshi picked up the assorted art history books that Daisuke had been using as a stool and neatly deposited them in the basket as well. He walked out of the library and towards the museum.

_And what did you think you were doing, assisting the Niwa boy? _Krad hissed from the back of his mind.

_What business is it of yours?_

_The Niwa is an enemy. You should have knocked him down rather than helped him up. _

_Be quiet and leave me alone. I have more important things to be concerned about than your sensibilities. _

_True,_ Krad acknowledged, to Satoshi's surprise. _I sense it will be an interesting night. _

A frown creased Satoshi's forehead.

XXXXX

_Emiko was right,_ Dark commented as he raced down the darkened halls of the museum. _This was really easy. I could have stopped to chat up that cute policewoman. _

_Remember what happened the **last** time you did that? _Daisuke asked scathingly.

Dark shuddered. _Ugh! Thanks, Daisuke. I had just managed to get rid of the image of Hiwatari in drag. _

_Oh, come on! I thought you said that he was your type. _

_You're getting downright nasty, Daisuke,_ Dark said approvingly. _I've taught you well. _

_Speaking of, did you see Hiwatari-kun at all tonight? _

Dark frowned. _No, which is probably why it was so easy. I bet he's outside waiting. _

_There's the door. I guess we're about to find out. _

Dark banged through the fire door at the top of the roof triumphantly…and literally ran right into Krad.

"Good evening."

"Oh, shit."

"Really, Dark. Is that any way to greet me?" Krad remonstrated. "After all, it's been a while since I've been out to see you."

"Yeah, I noticed," Dark commented as he backpedaled toward the stairwell. "Your Tamer must be keeping you on a tight leash."

_Can we please **not** try to make him madder than he already is? _Daisuke pleaded.

Krad's eyes narrowed, and he made a threatening gesture. The stairway behind Dark exploded. "I'm trying to talk to you, Dark. It's rude to leave in the middle of a conversation."

"The last time we met, you ran me through with a sword. What do we have to talk about?" Dark retorted, dodging raining debris.

Krad smiled. "I wouldn't mind reminiscing."

_We're gonna die,_ Daisuke moaned.

Dark pulled out a feather, concentrating. "Memories are all you're going to have," he snapped. A crackling ball of energy shot towards Krad, which he avoided easily.

Impressed despite himself, Dark prepared to try again. "When did he get so damn fast?" he murmured.

Krad heard him and laughed. "Of course I am faster. I am better. You are merely a pale imitation of me, the original. Surely you know that by now."

Daisuke could sense Dark's irritation. "Actually, you're the pale one," he jeered. "That's why you've never been popular with girls. Well, that and the stupid coat."

_Dark!_

Krad's next attack came out of nowhere and hit Dark squarely. The impact itself didn't hurt much, but flying backwards into the concrete wall certainly did.

Dark landed on his hands and knees, glaring up at Krad, who was looming over him. "That will teach you to mock me."

With a sudden, mad grin, Dark surged upward, plowing into Krad and slamming him into the wall. "But you're so mockable."

Before Krad could rise, Dark released another magical attack, burying Krad in rubble.

_Hiwatari-kun!_

_He'll be fine. They always bounce back. Like cockroaches. _With that, Dark launched himself into the air, bellowing for With. He flew away, but not before glimpsing a skinny teenager pulling himself out of the wreckage. _See? Told ya. _

_I hope he's okay. _

_Daisuke, _Dark said faintly. _If I were you, I would be more concerned about us. _

Immediately, Daisuke's attention was focused on him. _Are you all right?_

_Nope. Can you get us home? _

With that much warning, Daisuke transformed and promptly fell into a tree.

_Dark?!_

_Sorry, Daisuke. This is really going to hurt in the morning. _Dark's voice faded, and Daisuke knew he had fallen into an exhausted sleep. Fights with Krad always seemed to drain him. He wondered why.

Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Daisuke made his painful way out of the tree, picked up the distressed sounding demon-rabbit, and stumbled home.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning, Daisuke felt horrible…almost like he'd been put through a concrete wall.

_That's probably because you were,_ Dark commented drowsily.

_Thank you, Dark. I needed that,_ Daisuke said sarcastically, but it was no use. Dark had already gone back to sleep.

He made his slow and careful way down the stairs.

"Are you okay, Dai-chan?" his mother asked, concerned. "Maybe you shouldn't go to school today."

"I have to go to school, I have a test," Daisuke said miserably.

"Here, come have breakfast. Some tea should help." Emiko led him to the table and promptly shoved a huge cup in his hands. "Drink it all. Towa made a special concoction, just for you."

Daisuke groaned. Towa's brews usually worked, but always tasted like week-old dirty socks. And the neon green color did not inspire confidence.

He sighed and drank half of it in a gulp, scalding his throat. Almost immediately, some of the stiffness in his muscles eased. "Thanks, Towa!" he called towards the kitchen. Daisuke set the cup back on the counter, but winced as he turned to the door. He had twisted his ankle falling into the tree last night, and not even Towa's tea could fix that.

As Daisuke made his slow, limping way towards the school, he wondered how Hiwatari-kun was.

XXXXXXXX

Satoshi felt like shit. In fact, he almost felt like he'd been thrown into a concrete wall. Oh, wait…he had. The commander sat at his desk as the lunch bell rang, listening to the other students chat excitedly about Dark's latest success, and tried very hard not to glare at them openly.

From some of the sideways stares he was getting, he suspected he wasn't succeeding overly well. And if he had felt better, Satoshi might have cared.

He saw Saehara go bouncing up to Niwa, who looked almost as bad as Satoshi felt. After a moment of chatter, the redhead got up and followed Saehara out. Satoshi wondered if anyone else had noticed Niwa's slight limp.

Satoshi gave serious consideration to not moving from his seat for the entire lunch period, but after the third concerned glance from his teacher, he reluctantly got up and left. The roof was out of the question today; even if he managed to make it up the stairs, Satoshi wasn't at all confident in his ability to get back down without falling. Instead, he chose the closest deserted patch of courtyard. Sinking down on one of the benches, he closed his eyes. With any luck, he might be able to catch a few minutes of sleep…

"Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi couldn't conceal his brief scowl. "Yes, Niwa?" he asked shortly without opening his eyes.

The bench creaked as the redhead sat down. "How did you know it was me?"

"I didn't hear you coming." Satoshi opened his eyes in time to catch Daisuke's look of confusion.

"Oh…okay. Um, I was wondering…"

Satoshi sighed. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Daisuke said simply.

"I assume I look about as good as you do," Satoshi replied sardonically. "Has anyone else noticed that you're limping?"

Daisuke flushed. "I fell into a tree," he mumbled.

Satoshi just stared at him. "Niwa," he said carefully, "There are very few people in the world who can say they fell **into** a tree."

A sudden half-smile flashed onto the redhead's face. "My mother always told me I was special."

Satoshi could feel the corner of his mouth quirk in an effort to keep from smiling. "Indeed."

Daisuke grinned and leaned back. "So anyway, I was wondering, do you have any idea what Krad meant last night?"

The amusement faded to be replaced by irritation. "Pardon?"

Daisuke blinked. "You know, last night, when Krad and Dark were sniping at each other."

Satoshi could feel his face harden. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said curtly.

"But," the redhead frowned, "You were there…"

"No," Satoshi said coldly. "Krad was there. I was not."

Confusion covered Daisuke's face. "But…then…where were you?"

"Unconscious, a prisoner within my own mind," Satoshi snapped. "Krad always has to knock me out to take control. Only when I regain consciousness can I attempt to take back control. Until then, I have no knowledge of what Krad does while in possession of my body."

The confusion turned to shock. "I didn't know."

"Well, now you do," Satoshi said more softly, already regretting his outburst. "So what did Krad say?"

"Oh," Daisuke looked thoughtful as he tried to remember the exact wording. "He called Dark a pale imitation of himself, I think. Oh, and he called himself 'the original.'"

Satoshi frowned. "'The original?' Interesting." He was silent for a moment, deep in thought, and then shook his head. "I'm not sure what he meant, Niwa."

Daisuke looked concerned. "But he's not the original, is he? I mean, I thought he and Dark were created at the same time."

"How did you know about that?" Satoshi looked at the redhead carefully.

"I made Mom and Jii-chan tell me about Dark and Krad after…well, after the first fight with you, actually," Daisuke said sheepishly.

"Me?" the commander raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I wanted to know why you had a curse like me. So Mom and Jii-chan told me about the Black Wings."

Satoshi blinked at him. "They didn't tell you about Krad until after you had fought him? That seems a trifle irresponsible of them, Niwa, if you don't mind me saying so."

"They have this thing about 'need-to-know' information," the redhead said sourly. "Anyway, I made them tell me. So now I know what they know." He frowned. "I think."

The commander shrugged neutrally.

"So why did Krad say he was the original?" Daisuke asked again.

Satoshi sighed. "Krad is psychotic, Niwa. Surely you noticed."

Daisuke flushed. "Kinda."

"It was an odd thing for him to say, but Krad's entire attitude is that he deserves to live. He feels that he's better than Dark," Satoshi said tiredly. "He's probably always felt that way, so perhaps he has managed into deluding himself that he was the original artwork and Dark was only a copy. Who knows?"

"Should you find out? It could be important," Daisuke said hesitantly.

Satoshi glared at him. "The next time you see him, Niwa, you can ask him."

Daisuke sighed and dropped the subject. The two sat in silence for a minute, listening to the other students. "Lunch is almost over," Daisuke ventured. "Did you eat anything at all?"

"No." Satoshi glanced at him sideways. "Did you?"

Daisuke looked guilty. "No. I can never eat, the day after."

Satoshi considered replying, but just let it be.

Suddenly the redhead jumped up. "There's Riku-san! I'll talk to you later, Hiwatari-kun!"

He hurried off, though still limping.

Satoshi sighed and made his way back inside.

XXXXXX

"I'm home," Daisuke called tiredly as he pushed open the door. He cautiously probed at the floor with a toe. It seemed to be solid.

_Come on, Emiko wouldn't do anything to you the day after a fight with Krad._

The redhead made a slight noise of disbelief. _This is my mother we're talking about, remember? _He trudged down the hall.

Sure enough, a banana peel lay casually on the bottom step, right where he would have stepped on it if he hadn't been paying attention.

Daisuke scowled. _See? My mother's trying to kill me._

Dark studied it silently for a moment. _You know, there's always the chance that it was in the trash and fell out. It could be an accident._

_Mom doesn't do anything by accident_, Daisuke said sourly as he carefully navigated around the peel.

_She cares about you, Daisuke._

_How do you figure?_ he asked sarcastically as he pushed open the door to the kitchen.

_The banana peel could have been at the **top** of the stairs. _

"Dai-chan!" Emiko danced up to him but didn't throw her arms around him with her usual vigor. "How are you feeling?"

Daisuke gave her as much of a glare as he could muster. "Well, not bad, since I didn't fall on the banana peel and break my neck."

"Oh, you wouldn't have broken your neck!" Emiko said airily as she wandered away. "You wouldn't have fallen for something that simple anyway, no matter how hurt you were."  
The redhead sighed. "Mom…"

"I made you a snack!" Emiko turned around holding a large tray of chocolate-chip cookies.

_Oooh, cookies…_ Dark was enthralled.

Daisuke tried to maintain his disapproving posture. "Mom, I really can't believe you would do something like that."

"Like what?" she asked, eyes wide and innocent. "Make you cookies?"

"No, the whole thing with the banana…" Daisuke gave up and took a cookie. "Thanks."

"Not at all!" Emiko sat the tray down on the table. As if by magic, both Daiki and Kosuke appeared and each took one.

"These are wonderful, Emiko," Daiki said as he finished his and reached for another.

She turned around and slapped his hand with a wooden spoon. "Dad! We're going to have dinner soon!"

He 'hmmph'ed and sat down at the end of the table furthest from his daughter. Kosuke winked at Daisuke and slipped him another cookie while Emiko wasn't looking.

"So how was school?" he asked, sitting down at the table and taking another cookie for himself.

Daisuke pulled out a chair and nearly fell into it. "Long. I am **so** tired."

_Come on, steal me a cookie so I can have one later_, Dark whined slightly. _Show off those amazing phantom thief skills you learned. _

"Well, you need to get rested up, sweetie!" Emiko called. "I have stuff for you to do tomorrow."

Daisuke's head hit the table with a thunk. "Mom, please, not another heist."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that," Emiko said, glancing over her shoulder. "I just want you to go back to the library. You never did find a book on that axe, did you?"

"Well…" the teen hedged.

She frowned. "Daisuke! Didn't we explain how important the axe was?"

"Um, no, actually," the redhead said slowly. "You didn't. You just told me you wanted it."

"Oh." Emiko looked taken aback for a second, but turned imperiously to her husband. "Tell him about the axe, Kosuke."

He looked at her wryly, and she turned back to the stove. Daiki took the opportunity to grab another cookie from the plate and hurried off before Emiko could catch him. Kosuke sighed and looked at his son. "Its name is the Edge of Sorrows. It's a very famous, very old Hikari work, but it was lost almost right after it was made. Since it is so famous, it may be mentioned in some of the books at the library. They have a surprisingly good art history section."

"That's because when the last Hikari branch family died out a hundred years ago, the entire estate was donated to the city," Daiki called from the living room. "Their books went to the public library."

_Wow, I bet that really pissed off the other Hikari,_ Dark said appreciatively.

Kosuke frowned in an unconscious echo of Dark's thoughts. "They didn't give their books to the other Hikari of that era? That probably caused them some distress."

Daiki wandered back into the room to snatch another cookie and chuckled slightly. "I'm sure it did."

"So why can't Towa find the axe?" Daisuke asked impatiently, waving one hand in front of his father's eyes and snagging another cookie with the other hand.

Kosuke blinked at his son. "Towa says that she can't."

"Yeah, it's been hidden very well!" Towa bounced in from the garden, carrying an armful of autumn flowers.

"I wondered where you were," Emiko sighed, gratefully relinquishing her position by the stove.

"Just getting some of the last flowers!" Towa said cheerfully, laying them on the table and stepping up to the stove. "But you were right, I can't find the axe. Whoever has it must have it under some pretty serious magical protections. What are you making?"

The men blinked at each other, but Emiko handed Towa the spoon calmly. "Soup, fish, and rice. Remember to keep stirring the soup or it will burn."

The Towa no Shirube took the spoon and began to stir, humming slightly.

Emiko turned and sat down at the table next to Kosuke. Her eyes fell on the now-empty cookie plate. She scowled.

Before she could say anything, Daiki stood up hurriedly. "Anyway, Daisuke, it is vital that we find this axe. Anything you learn about it at all would be helpful." With that, he disappeared like the retired phantom thief that he was.

Kosuke stood up as well. "If you would stop by the library for an hour or so tomorrow after school, we would really appreciate it," he said as he prepared to flee.

"Kosuke…" Emiko said warningly, pointing at the plate.

Towa looked back over her shoulder. "Oh. I guess they really liked those cookies I made," she said brightly.

Kosuke and Daisuke turned to her. "**You** made?" they chorused.

"Yeah." Towa looked back at them. "Why?"

The two looked at each other, then at Emiko. Or rather, where Emiko had been.

The woman had disappeared, only the slight rustling of the curtain in front of the garden door marking her absence through it.

_**Very** nice_, Dark said approvingly.

Daisuke shook his head and stood. "I'm going to my room to do homework. Call me when dinner's ready."

A slight curl of smoke wafted by his nose, and he whirled to see Towa blissfully stirring away at the rice.

"The soup!" Kosuke yelped, diving for the stove. "You were supposed to stir the **soup**, Towa!"

"Oh no!" she clapped her hands to her face in horror. "What was I thinking?!"

_Looks like dinner's gonna be a little late,_ Dark said with a sardonic smile.

Daisuke smiled slightly in return and limped upstairs to start his homework.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Satoshi felt moderately better today. His head was no longer pounding, and the aches and pains had lessened to the point where commercial painkillers actually made a difference.

Unfortunately, since he felt better, so did Krad.

_I do not understand why you come to this school everyday,_ he complained. _It is exceedingly boring, and it wastes time that could be better spent trying to capture the Niwa._

Satoshi ignored him. He wasn't really paying attention to the lecture on English playwrights, either, but even listening to his teacher drone about ideas that he had mastered years ago was preferable to listening to his curse.

Actually, most things were preferable to listening his curse.

_We could be spending this time planning on how to effectively capture the Niwa, _Krad mused. _Or deciding what method we should use to finally kill this one._

Satoshi managed to push Krad's murderous planning to a faint drone in the back of his head as the bell rang for lunch. The other students stood up and started chattering amongst themselves.

He glanced out the window, and his day took an abrupt turn for the worse.

It was raining, so eating on the roof was out of the question.

The commander sighed. He hated having to eat inside, because every time he did—

"Hiwatari-san?" a timid voice asked from his left. He twisted slightly in his seat to see a girl from the front row standing hesitantly in front of him, a note clenched in her hand.

She bowed slightly and held it out. "Um, you don't have to read this it now, but would you—"

Satoshi rose from his desk. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time for girls," he said coolly.

The girl looked crushed, and Satoshi sighed deeply as he walked out of the classroom. He had been more polite about rejecting offers when he first started coming to the school, but after a while he lost patience. After he rejected the third girl in his first week, one would have assumed that the girls of Azumano Middle would have gotten the message that Hiwatari Satoshi wanted to be left alone.

Apparently not.

He took refuge for a few minutes in the men's room before returning to his classroom. The girl was nowhere in sight, and Satoshi breathed a slight sigh of relief as he slid back into his seat and pulled out his store-bought bun.

Satoshi opened a book and assumed his least-approachable countenance in the hopes of being left alone for the rest of the period.

"Hiwatari!" Saehara's hand slapped down on the desktop. "I was thinking, since we missed so many practices when you and Daisuke were gone a week or so ago, we should hold some make-up practices." He grinned. "There's one after school. No excuses. Don't be late."

The commander watched sourly as the reporter bounced up to Niwa to give him the same ultimatum, no doubt.

Satoshi's head started to ache again as Krad's incessant murmurs grew louder at the mention of the play.

So much for the rest of what had started out as a fairly decent day.

XXXXX

Satoshi gazed deeply into Daisuke's eyes. "How I long to take away even a small part of your suffering."

Daisuke looked up at him with a soulful gaze. "Please, don't worry about me. Just being with you eases my pain."

"Darling!" Saehara bellowed from the sidelines. "You're supposed to call him 'darling!'"

Both of the boys sighed deeply as the rest of the class tittered slightly.

"Aren't we almost done yet?" Daisuke asked tiredly. "It's almost five o' clock."

Saehara glared at them. "We'll go home when you get it right. Quiet!" he yelled to the rest of the class. "We don't have very much time left before the Cultural Festival."

Daisuke sighed and read his lines again. "Please, don't worry about me. Just being with you eases my pain." He winced. "Darling."

He cast a glance over the seated forms of his classmates. Riku was giggling with Risa in the back row, and he flushed a dull red.

Satoshi took Daisuke's hand. "How can you be so wonderful, my precious Freedert?" he said softly, but Daisuke could see the annoyance flashing in his eyes.

The two held the pose for a moment, and then turned as one to Saehara, taking a large step apart as they did so.

"May we go now?" Satoshi asked evenly.

Saehara seemed to ponder for a moment, but then nodded decisively. "That was adequate. It needs some work, but not bad, guys!" He gave them a thumbs up.

Daisuke sighed in relief. He yanked the dress over his head and tossed it into the waiting arms of the costume girls and walked over to the twins.

Riku grinned at him. "You did really well, Niwa-kun."

"You should be careful, Riku, Hiwatari-kun might try to steal Niwa-kun away from you," Risa said with a mischievous smile.

Both girls giggled, and Daisuke could feel himself blush.

"Very funny," he said, and they just giggled louder. "Can I walk you home, Riku-san?" he asked hopefully.

Her face abruptly fell. "I'm sorry Niwa-kun, Risa and I have a dentist's appointment, so Tsubouchi-san is picking us up."

Making an effort, Daisuke smiled at her. "Maybe tomorrow, then?"

She smiled back. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

Risa tugged on her hand, and Riku allowed herself to be pulled away. "See you tomorrow, Niwa-kun!" she called.

"Yeah," he waved gamely. As soon as she was gone, though, he allowed his hand to drop.

_Left hanging again, huh Daisuke?_

The redhead sighed. _Looks like._

_Come on, you should be used to it by now,_ the thief said, sounding distinctly cheerful.

Daisuke frowned. _That's not nice._

The thief laughed in amused surprise. _Since when have you been under the impression that I'm a nice person?_

_Good point,_ Daisuke admitted, picking up his school bag and walking out. He could see Hiwatari further down the hall.

"Hey, wait up!" he called.

_I would have thought you'd be sick of talking to him by now,_ Dark commented.

_We don't actually talk during play practice, you know, _Daisuke told him. _Besides, I hate walking alone._

_And what am I, chopped liver?_ The thief sounded peeved, but Daisuke ignored him as he caught up with the commander.

"What do you want, Niwa?" the older boy asked.

Daisuke shrugged. "Just to talk for a minute." He eyed the teen sideways. "So…do you hate the play as much as I do?"

Satoshi turned slowly and gave him a Look. "My character is **Dark**, Niwa. What do you think?

Daisuke grinned. "Detest it, huh?"

"I'm not sure there are words to describe the depth of my loathing," Satoshi said dryly.

"Is your family going to come?" Daisuke asked cheerfully.

"I hope not," the commander replied instantly.

Daisuke looked at him askance. "Why?"

Satoshi looked suddenly uncomfortable. "My…father would not approve."

"Of the play, or of the fact that you're playing Dark?" Daisuke asked curiously.

"Both."

Daisuke stared at the teen as they continued to walk. He suddenly realized that he didn't know anything about Satoshi's family. "Well, what's your mom going to think?"

The other teen's face hardened. "She's dead."

"I am so sorry!" Daisuke yelped, waving his hands in mortification. "I shouldn't have said anything, I was just being nosy…"

Satoshi motioned for him to stop his babbling apology. "It's all right, Niwa. She died right after I was born, so I never knew her."

"Oh." Daisuke wasn't sure if he should ask any more questions or not, for fear of sticking his foot in his mouth again, but the question quickly became moot.

"I have to go to the library," Satoshi said as they came to an intersection. "I'll see you tomorrow, Niwa."

"Bye, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke waved until the pale-haired commander was out of sight.

_Do you think I made him mad? _he asked Dark worriedly.

_ Unlikely, since you didn't know and it was an honest mistake,_ Dark replied calmly. _Besides, he doesn't seem to be one to hold grudges—unless they're already inherited. _

Daisuke sighed. _I'd wondered why he never mentioned his parents._

Dark shrugged mentally. _Don't get all bent outta shape, Daisuke. The commander can take care of himself. _

_Yeah, I guess. _

Daisuke finished the walk home in contemplative silence.

XXXXX

Most of Satoshi's life had been spent in some sort of research. He'd learned to read on the Hikari family histories and old police reports about Dark. Years of his life had been spent reading about each of the Hikari art pieces and the magic they contained. And just because a lot of time was taken up by stakeouts at museums and galleries didn't mean that the research stopped. And so, it did not bother Satoshi that he had thousands of pages to read, looking for that one bit of information that would make everything fall into place. However, having to wade through thousands of pages of gossip columns and society pages of 40-year-old newspapers qualified, in his opinion, as cruel and unusual punishment.

"Another night of breathless anticipation ended in triumph as the mysterious and dashing phantom thief Dark effortlessly bypassed the embarrassingly inadequate police to make off with the Pearl of Tears. As he flew overhead, the crowd of admirers surrounding the museum cheered. And once again, the strikingly handsome young thief threw his trademark dark-red rose to the loveliest girl in the crowd before disappearing in a cloud of feathers as dark and mysterious as the one they came from." The rest of the article advised hopeful girls of what to wear when they went to a heist as well as the best place to stand in a crowd to catch Dark's attention.

In a rare moment of frustration, Satoshi swore that he would somehow get back at Dark for making him read this drivel.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sunday was usually Satoshi's day to sleep in, at least as much as he did. However, today Dark had decreed that he would be stealing the Ocean's Mirror at precisely midnight that evening. The tiny mirror had just been donated to a museum by a wealthy woman who also contributed heavily to the police station.

And so, he had spent the entire Sunday morning on his hands and knees on the top of the museum in the rain, installing a set of pressure sensors. The afternoon had likewise been wasted in a meeting between his superiors at the station, the museum curator, the donor, and himself and Inspector Saehara.

His father had impressed upon him the importance of pleasing this woman, and so Satoshi had been forced to acquiesce to a ridiculous plan concocted by his superiors. He could have told them in advance that it would fail, being far too complicated and requiring the perfect timing of Azumano's notoriously imperfect police force. However, when he had tried to express his concerns at the meeting, they had been dismissed easily. The museum had been outfitted with dozens of traps, and the building was filled with officers. Every bit of equipment the department had was being used.

Satoshi brushed his soaking wet bangs out of his face for the hundredth time and sourly wondered if the pressure sensors were waterproof. His post, along with two other officers, was on the roof, ready to grab a fleeing Dark when he tripped the sensors and this trap sprung. If the thief left by the roof, of course.

He cast a glance at his waterproof watch. It was five till midnight, and time to get into position. The commander motioned to the other officers, and they obediently disappeared into the shadows. Satoshi, in turn, made his way to the shadow of an air-conditioning unit, and crouched there. He impatiently brushed his bangs out of his face again. His glasses had long been relegated to his shirt pocket, since water streaming down them made it impossible to see anything.

Of course, it was raining so hard that it was hard to see anyway.

A faint roar of excitement from the crowd below signaled the appearance of the phantom thief. The winged shape hovered for a moment in the middle of the police spotlight, posing for his admirers.

"Commander," came a hissed whisper from one of the other officers.

Satoshi looked up just in time to see Dark disappear from the sky. "Get ready," he warned the men, shifting his balance.

Sure enough, as shouts and angry cries erupted below them, Dark burst through the stairwell door, laughing maniacally. He promptly stepped onto the pressure sensors, and the elaborate pattern of trip wires Satoshi had spent all morning preparing obediently popped up into place.

As they were intended, the wires tangled around Dark's legs and the thief was immobilized for a moment.

"Now!" Satoshi and the officers dove at the thief. The commander saw one of them slip on the wet concrete out of the corner of his eye, but then he was slamming into Dark's shoulders, the other officer tackling the thief around the knees. The thief was knocked into the tangling wires, and his thrashing only made them tighter.

Wide purple eyes glared balefully into Satoshi's. And then the thief grinned.

Satoshi was abruptly thrown back by a burst of magic, and he flew back several meters before slamming down onto the roof.

The other officers weren't so lucky; the blast knocked both of them into the wires, turning the tables and holding them immobile, just as Satoshi had warned might happen. Dark jumped back to his feet to face off against Satoshi.

"You look miserable, Commander," Dark commented with a definite tinge of glee in his voice. "Like a drowned rat."

Satoshi ignored the taunts, gauging the distance between them.

Dark held up a warning finger. "I think we've tussled enough for one night. With!"

As the thief's familiar came swooping down, Satoshi lunged at Dark, knowing even as he moved that he was too late. Sure enough, the phantom thief jumped into the air to meet his wings about a second before Satoshi tackled him.

And to add insult to injury, the thief hovered there for a moment. "You should go home and get some dry clothes, Commander. After all, if you get sick, then I can't beat you next time."

Satoshi refused to dignify that with an answer, although his eyes narrowed as he watched the thief fly off into the rain. And then he took a deep breath, unclenched his fists, and went to cut his subordinates out of the net.

XXXXX

"Why am I late every morning?" Daisuke wailed as he stumbled down his stairs.

_Well, if I absolutely had to make a guess…_ Dark said sarcastically. _I'd say it's because you hit the snooze button on your alarm at least seven times each morning. _

_You should start making me get up,_ Daisuke said as he grabbed a piece of toast from the kitchen and headed down the hall for the door. _Don't let me hit the snooze button anymore._

_Do I look like an alarm clock to you?_ Dark sounded peeved.

Daisuke sighed.

The floor fell out from under his sneakers.

He squeaked rather inelegantly as he pin wheeled in the air and grabbed for the very edge of the trap door. Daisuke managed to hang there by the tips of his fingers and watched sourly as his toast slowly fell into the deep blackness. _I was hungry, too._

_Too bad. Nice save, though,_ Dark said encouragingly.

Daisuke huffed as he started to swing his body back and forth, building up momentum. _School is torturous enough without having to worry about Mom trying to kill me on the way there._

_You could sleep through it, like I do,_ Dark offered.

_I'd get in trouble. _ Daisuke gave himself one final push, swung up, and backflipped up out of the hole, landing right on the edge. He teetered there for a second, waving his arms wildly for balance.

And then a demon-rabbit bounced off the back of his head, knocking him forward and away from the hole. And as Daisuke fell forward, he saw minute scratches where the tile had been removed to make yet another trap door. He landed on his hands on the tiny stable part of the floor and pulled a quick handspring, slamming into the door, knocking it open, and falling onto the front stoop.

"Ow…" he moaned, rubbing his head where his bag had banged it during the flip.

_You're getting pretty good, Daisuke, avoiding two traps before breakfast, although I'd have only given you a 7.9 on the last flip,_ Dark said thoughtfully.

_Thanks_, he said sardonically, getting to his feet.

And then With rocketed out of nowhere, hitting him right in the shoulder and knocked the redhead back onto the ground before disappearing inside the house.

"With!" Daisuke shouted, jumping back to his feet…and dodging as Towa in her bird form came zooming around the corner of the house after With.

"Knock it off, you two!" he hollered after them.

He heard a faint 'kyuu' off in the distance. Daisuke scowled slightly, turned around, and saw his parents standing there. His mom was holding a piece of toast.

"Here you go, sweetie," she said cheerfully. "You better run now, you're going to be late for school!"

He took it, slightly dazed by the extreme weirdness, and stared at his mother. "Why did you put trap doors in the hall before school?" he asked plaintively.

She smiled at him. "Because you'd expect them after school. You should always be prepared!"

"Not bad, son," Kosuke smiled, and then they both walked inside, closing the door behind them.

Daisuke sighed deeply and shoved the toast in his mouth as he began to run. _Why is my family insane?_

_Come on, Daisuke, if they weren't like this you'd be bored to death,_ Dark said.

_Possibly_, he admitted. _But With and Towa were acting really weird today. More so than normal._

_You may be right,_ Dark said slowly. _They've been acting kind of weird for a while…ever since the Second Hand of Time was destroyed._

_Do you think it might have affected them?_ Daisuke asked, concerned. _I mean, both of them touched it. Towa touched it with her mind when she tried to find me, and With came in with you. _

Dark paused, thinking. _I don't think that's what's wrong. If that was the case, I should be affected too._

_But you're stronger than they are, _Daisuke observed.

_Heh! Flattery will get you nowhere!_ said Dark, who was clearly quite pleased. He sobered. _But you know, there's been sort of a tension hanging over Azumano for a while. A magical pall, almost. Do you feel it?_

Daisuke concentrated. _Yeah, a little. It feels kinda like the air before a really big thunderstorm. _He paused. _So what does that mean?_

_I don't know, but I bet it has something to do with the Second Hand of Time breaking. _

_Right._ Daisuke considered this for a moment, and then nodded decisively. _There's only thing left to do._

_What's that?_

_Ask Dad._

_Good idea,_ Dark said approvingly. _If anyone would know, it would be your dad._

Daisuke sighed deeply. _I wish I didn't have to go to school._

_You could cut!_ Dark suggested gleefully. _Especially since you're going to be late anyway._

_What?_ The sound of the school bell came from over the trees. _Aw, man!_ He broke into a flat-out run.

This was going to be a very long day.

XXXXX

Satoshi was tired. That had to be the reason. He stared down with distant surprise at the page in his notebook where he had been supposedly taking notes on trigonometry. Since Satoshi had excelled at advanced calculus, basic trig was not overly taxing. It was an unusually warm day for autumn, especially after all the rain, and the teacher had opened the windows. The classroom was warm, and the faint sound of the breeze through the leaves could be heard on the grounds.

The relaxed, bucolic atmosphere, coupled with the fact that Satoshi had been at a museum waiting for Dark until midnight and then filling out paperwork at police headquarters until three, lulled the teen into a fatigued daze. Ten minutes had gone by without Satoshi hearing a word the teacher had said—an unacceptable lapse—and apparently Satoshi's pen had wandered.

A tiny, perfect ink sketch of Niwa Daisuke leaning on his desk with his chin in his hand now graced the bottom of Satoshi's notes on the unit circle.

The teen frowned. He never drew. The ability, the _need_ to create ran his veins just as it had his Hikari ancestors, but Satoshi differed in one aspect—that of self-control. A Hikari poured a little of his soul into each artwork, and that spirit gave the art power. And sometimes that power was destructive.

Satoshi knew that from personal and painful experience.

_You are not paying attention, Satoshi-sama_, came a mildly reproving voice in the back of his head. _What are you thinking about that is so interesting? You woke me up._

_Sorry_, Satoshi retorted silently. _I'll try harder next time. Go away._

_Ah, you cannot be rid of me that easily,_ the voice laughed. _What were you doing?_

_If you're so concerned about my schoolwork, then perhaps you should stop talking to me in the middle of class_, Satoshi said.

The teen deliberately turned his thoughts back to trigonometry, but his eyes caught the sketch before he could flip to a clean page.

_Ah. The Niwa. _Krad was no longer laughing. _Satoshi-sama, what do you think you are doing? _

_It is none of your concern_, the teen said firmly.

_The Niwa have always been my concern. _

Satoshi said nothing, but turned his attention back to the teacher. Pain erupted in the back of his head, and he flinched before he could stop himself.

_Don't you dare ignore me, Satoshi-sama. I will not be ignored._

Satoshi's eyes narrowed. _Don't dictate to me. You do not control me._

_Not yet. You are mine, Satoshi-sama. You just haven't accepted it yet._

_No. I am myself. I am not you, and I never will be. _

_Pretend all you like, Satoshi-sama, but that does not change the truth._

_And what is the truth?_ Satoshi snapped. _That I belong to you?_

_Yes. The truth is that you belong with me…because who one else would have you?_

"Hiwatari-kun?" Satoshi felt Krad slip away into unconsciousness, apparently pleased with his parting shot. The teen looked up to see Niwa staring down at him with apparent concern. Apparently class had ended while Satoshi was arguing with his curse and now he and Niwa were the only two who remained in the room. "Are you all right?"

"Fine, thank you," Satoshi said, closing his notebook and slipping it into his school bag.

"If you're sure…" Niwa said doubtfully, clearly unconvinced.

"Yes. I'm fine," Satoshi said impatiently, picking up his bag and standing up.

"Okay," the redhead said cheerfully. "Hey, want to eat lunch with me?"

Satoshi sighed inwardly. "I'm eating on the roof."

"Cool!" Niwa proceeded to follow Satoshi up the stairs to the roof, chattering away and entirely oblivious to the fact that Satoshi had never actually agreed to eat with him today. Although, Satoshi reasoned absently, he hadn't actually refused the redhead, so silence indicated tacit agreement.

He really **must** be tired.

He sat down in his usual spot, a nicely sunny square of concrete next to a small storage building that provided both shelter from the wind and something to lean against.

"I hope you don't care if I eat with you. Sometimes Saehara just gets a little…overpowering, you know? And Riku-san is doing something with her team and I don't get to talk to you very much," Daisuke chattered.

Satoshi shrugged neutrally and unwrapped the bun he had bought on the way to school.

Niwa pulled out his own lunch, a large bag of fruit, steamed vegetables, fish rolls, and rice. "Sometimes I think my mom is trying to fatten me for slaughter," Niwa complained. "I can't possibly eat all of this, but if I bring any of it home, she yells at me for 'neglecting proper nutrition.'"

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. Parents were a mystery, but Niwa's mother seemed odder than most.

Niwa spread out his feast and, resigned, started to munch his way through. Satoshi finished his bun before Niwa had even finished half of his own food, although that could have been because the redhead prattled nonstop about classes.

Satoshi leaned back against the building and closed his eyes, savoring the warmth of the sun, as well as the illusion of companionship, however transient.

"Do you want one of these?"

He opened his eyes to see Niwa offering him an orange. Daisuke was smiling, but his eyes were surprisingly serious. "I'm sure you need the vitamins just as much as I do, if not more so."

He pressed the fruit into Satoshi's unresisting hand and stood, swinging his school bag over his shoulder. "I should probably go talk to Saehara about that one scene in the play before class starts. See you later, Hiwatari-kun!"

Satoshi watched as the redhead bounded away across the roof. The heavy fire door banged shut behind him, and silence fell over the roof. The commander gently sat the orange on the roof ledge and leaned back again to savor the quiet. For some reason, however, the stillness wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it usually was.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Satoshi was starting to dread having to read the old newspapers, and only stubbornness as well as an inner assurance that there was something of importance to be found kept him going to the library after school each afternoon. As he entered, the librarian's aide waved to him cheerfully, as she did everyday. Satoshi nodded in return and headed towards the newspaper archive and the microfilm machine. At least he had learned one interesting fact thus far, mentioned in several articles. Forty years ago, Dark had been in the habit of throwing a rose to the prettiest girl in the crowd, never the same one twice.

Satoshi took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose before setting up the microfilm reader. Some of the earliest stories about Dark, from the oldest papers Satoshi had been able to find, had also mentioned a flower in relation to a girl in the crowd. Dark did no such thing in modern times, and it had not been noted in the Hikari histories. It had probably been disregarded as irrelevant. Satoshi's mouth tightened. It was no wonder that Dark had remained elusive for centuries. All information was important.

Satoshi frowned as he wound the microfilm onto the reader. The Hikari had a dangerous tendency to pass their most important secrets down by mouth from generation to generation, refusing to write down their most precious secrets. However, life was anything if not uncertain, especially around Krad. People died, went mad, or were otherwise incapacitated before they could pass on their secrets, and the knowledge was lost. As a result, Satoshi was the caretaker of several Hikari pieces that had largely unknown properties and powers.

The commander shook his head, dismissing the irrelevant thoughts, and leaned forward to the reader. The first article he read was another typically gushing article about how mysterious the thief was and how easily he had trumped police security. The same author wrote all the articles, and they generally appeared a day after each robbery. Satoshi sighed as he threaded another cartridge into the machine. He scrolled through the pages, looking for the paper that been published the day after Dark's next historical heist. And, as suspected, that paper had an article about Dark.

"Disappointment was the dominant emotion after Dark made off with the Angel's Hand last night. Police Inspector Takahashi was seen venting his frustrations on his officers as Dark had boldly chosen to enter by the front door, yet was still unseen by the police. Hundreds of girls were likewise disappointed last night as the thief failed to toss a flower to his chosen."

Satoshi smiled slightly. The thief had finally changed his pattern, one that he had seemed to take great pleasure in and had continued for several hosts. So what was the reason?

The commander went back to the last article where Dark had thrown a flower to the crowd and started to carefully read the entire paper, looking for what had changed.

XXXXX

Daisuke walked into the library and headed for the art section.

_We're not going to find anything_, Dark predicted gloomily. _Why can't we just ask your dad?_

_Because I want to make sure there's nothing here before I bug Dad,_ Daisuke said firmly. _I want to do something more active to help the family than just being your host._

_But being my host is important,_ Dark protested.

Daisuke sighed as he sat down at the computerized card catalog. _Yeah, but anyone could really do it. _

Dark was silent for a moment. _That makes no sense whatsoever, Daisuke, _he said, confused._ Only Niwa males of approximately 14 years of age who fall in love and are then rejected—_

_I know,_ the redhead interrupted, frustrated. _But I want to do more than just let you use my body sometimes. I want to be useful._

_What's this really about, Daisuke? _

The redhead ran his hand through his hair, breathing out sharply. _I want to prove that I can do more than just escape traps and steal stuff. _

_What's wrong with that?_ Dark sounded somewhat hurt.

_Nothing!_ Daisuke shrugged sharply. _Just forget it._

_Why are you so against asking Kosuke for help?_ The thief asked softly. _Are you mad at him or something?_

_No! It's just…_he trailed off.

The phantom thief waited pointedly.

Daisuke sighed deeply. _I mean, Dad's cool. He's been everywhere and knows a lot about magic and art. I know he cares about me and loves me and all that, he gave me a rutile to protect me, but I don't really know him that well, and he doesn't really know me. I just want to show him that I can do research too. _

Dark was quiet for a minute. _Well,_ he said slowly, _I would recommend checking out the book by Sukino about the Cultural Reform. It might mention the Second Hand of Time._

_Thanks, Dark. _Daisuke jotted down the call number and stood up.

_You are not Kosuke, you know,_ Dark said softly. _You don't have to be exactly like him._

_I know,_ Daisuke assured him, _And I don't want to be just like him. I just don't want to be just like Jii-chan or Mom, either._

_I assure you, you are nothing like your mother or your grandfather,_ Dark said dryly. _For one thing, for being such a nice, normal guy on the surface, you are infinitely complicated, more so than any other host I've had._

_Thanks_, Daisuke laughed, normal good humor restored.

_Anytime. Now, when you get this book off the top shelf this time,_ Dark said teasingly, _you should really use a stepstool. _

Daisuke shook his head and walked off to the art section.

XXXXX

Satoshi had found it. Tucked away on one of the society pages was an article about a costume ball held at the Central Art Museum on the same day as one of Dark's theft of the Sunlight Mask. Mentions were made of some of the best costumes, including an elaborate geisha's kimono and a cowboy from the American Old West. The article included a picture of the couple with the best costumes. The grainy, black-and-white photograph showed a woman in 12th century English court garb dancing with a man wearing the costume of a masked Dark. Satoshi took off his glasses and closely studied the image on the microfilm reader's screen. The man did bear a remarkable resemblance to the phantom thief, down to the elaborate long-yet-spiked hair.

The article continued by saying that the couple had won the prize for the best costume, but that they had disappeared before the unmasking, and concluded with a plea for the true identity of the mysterious couple.

Satoshi turned off the reader. He leaned forward, his elbows on the table, folding his hands and resting his chin on them as he thought.

He may not know Dark as well as Harada did, but he was willing to bet that the mysterious man at the ball had been Dark himself. It was a bold move by the thief, but then, a masked costume ball was the perfect hiding place for a thief who had just stolen a mask, wasn't it?

Satoshi sat up, smiling slightly with satisfaction. After the ball, Dark no longer threw flowers to the girls in the crowd, meaning that perhaps the mysterious woman he danced with was the love of which Harada has spoken. That left only one question.

Who was she?

He stood up and gathered his things. That was a question for another day. Satoshi returned the microfilm to the shelf and walked out to the circulation desk.

Daisuke was standing there, checking out a large hardback.

Satoshi quickly ran through the last few hours in his head. Had there been any point where Daisuke could have come up and observed his research? No, impossible. The room with the microfilm readers was small and hard to find. If Daisuke had entered, Satoshi would have heard him. Unless Daisuke was trying not to be heard, in which case the commander was not at all confident he would have noticed. However, Krad would have hissed or threatened if the Niwa had come within ten meters of him, so Daisuke probably hadn't seen him before.

Daisuke took his library card back from the aide and smiled at her as he stuffed the book in his bag.

Satoshi left, walking down the stairs and towards the apartment.

"Hey, Hiwatari-kun!"

Satoshi turned around to see Daisuke running up to him. The redhead drew up next to him, panting slightly. "You walk really fast."

The commander shrugged. "Perhaps. Did you want something, Niwa?"

"Yeah. I had a question for you," Daisuke began.

Satoshi braced himself.

"Back with Freedert and the Second Hand of Time, how did you know that Elliot-san was really the sword?"

The commander stared at him for a moment. That was the one question he had not expected. "I had done research on the Second Hand of Time a while ago, and it made sense that Elliot had ended up binding himself to the sword when he killed himself with it."

Daisuke's brow furrowed. "Research? But I've barely been able to find anything about the Second Hand of Time in the library here. The one book I found mentions it briefly, but only as a famous lost artwork."

Satoshi sighed. "Of course you wouldn't find a book about the magical properties about artworks in the public library." He paused. "Why do you want to know, anyway?"

"It started with Towa and With," Daisuke said earnestly. "They've been acting really weird lately, ever since the Second Hand of Time broke, and Dark and I were talking and we've noticed a weird feeling in the air lately, a sort of magical pressure." Satoshi couldn't keep the surprise from his eyes, and Daisuke noticed. He studied Satoshi carefully. "Have you felt it too, Hiwatari-kun?"

"Yes, I have," Satoshi admitted thoughtfully. "I didn't have any idea what it was, but I agree, the Second Hand of Time probably has something to do with it."

"Did the book you were looking at say anything that might explain it?"

Satoshi shook his head. "Not that one, no."

Daisuke's eyes lit up. "You have more books about the Second Hand of Time?"

The commander resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Niwa, the Toki no Byoushin was one of the most powerful Hikari artworks ever created. Of course we would have books about it."

"You have books solely about Hikari artwork?" The redhead's eyes were wide.

"The family archives contain a lot of material about Hikari work," Satoshi said neutrally. "Why?"

"Can I borrow some of the books about the Second Hand of Time?" Daisuke asked hopefully.

"No," Satoshi said shortly. At Daisuke's crestfallen expression, he tried to explain. "These books are over a hundred years old. I wouldn't want to have them carried back and forth in a book bag."

Daisuke looked so downcast and discouraged that Satoshi found himself saying, "But you could look at it."

Daisuke's head shot back up. "Really?!"

_Satoshi-sama…what are you doing?_ Krad gasped.

"Of course you can look at it," Satoshi explained, not sure whether he was justifying his offer to the redhead or to his curse. "You raised a valid concern about the magical pressure hanging over Azumano. Research should be done into this phenomenon, and I, honestly, don't have the time right now. If you want to research it and you don't mind doing the research at my apartment, then I don't see why you shouldn't."

"Great!" Daisuke enthused. "Can we go now?"

Satoshi looked at the darkening sky. "It's getting late, Niwa. Won't your parents be worried about you if you stay out much longer?"

"Maybe," he admitted. "After school tomorrow then?"

"We have practice tomorrow," Satoshi reminded him.

Daisuke made a face. "After that, then?"

"All right," the commander agreed.

"Cool! See you tomorrow!" And the Niwa bounced off into the night, leaving Satoshi alone with his irate curse.

_Why did you do that, Satoshi-sama? No Niwa has ever set foot in the Hikari archives! And you **invited** one in!_

Satoshi's face set as he walked home. _I don't have to explain myself to you. However, I will tell you why I'm doing this._

_Is it a trap?_ Krad sounded moderately interested despite himself.

_I have been concerned about the magical pall hanging over the town as well, but I told Niwa the truth. I don't have time to research it right now. So I'll let Niwa research the Second Hand of Time so he can find the answer for me while I use the time to research into his curse's weakness,_ Satoshi finished coolly.

Krad was silent for a moment. _A shrewd and efficient use for an enemy,_ he acknowledged finally. _It would, however, be more efficient if you just let me kill Dark the next time we see him. And then you could focus on whatever research you desired._

Satoshi sighed and didn't bother to answer.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Daisuke stood behind Satoshi as he unlocked the door to his apartment.

"After you," Satoshi said dryly as he pushed the door open.

Daisuke smiled slightly as stepped in and looked around. Satoshi's apartment was large and mostly bare.

"You live here?" Daisuke asked, awed.

"Yes," Satoshi said simply, locking the door behind them.

_Daisuke, the **door**!_

_Hiwatari-kun's not going to try to capture us in his apartment_, Daisuke said dismissively. _Besides, the lock is one I'm familiar with._

_Hmmph_. Dark did not sound mollified. _His place looks like an operating room._

Daisuke had to admit that Dark had a point. The place appeared to be clean to the point of sterility. The main room had a single small couch and a desk with the latest computer and fax machine, but that was it. And from what Daisuke could see, the tiny kitchen was just as bare. The walls were a pale blue, and unadorned with any paintings or photographs.

"It's very…minimalist," Daisuke tried bravely.

Satoshi shot him a look. "I don't spend much time here," he said simply, dropping his bag on the couch. "The archives are this way." He led him down a short hall. Daisuke could see brief flashes of the rooms. A spotless bathroom, an orderly bedroom, a storage room filled with brown boxes, and two rooms at the end of the hall with closed doors.

Satoshi opened the door on the right, and wordlessly gestured Daisuke in. He obediently entered a room that was distinctly cooler than the hall.

The room was lined with bookshelves, and there was a small climate-controlled cabinet against one wall. Satoshi saw Daisuke's eyes linger on it. "It's for the oldest and most fragile documents. Most of the books don't require such delicate care." He stepped forward to the center of the room, where a small table and two mismatched chairs sat. A large stack of books rested on top of the table. "These are all the books I have that mention the Toki no Byoushin."

Daisuke's eyes widened at the number. "I didn't think there'd be so many," he whispered.

Satoshi smiled humorlessly as he pulled another book from the shelf. "Well, my ancestors did enjoy writing about their artworks, especially the masterpieces."

He sat down and waved at the other chair. Daisuke sat down gingerly, sliding his bag to the floor.

The commander pushed the stack towards him gently. "Just be careful. Some of the bindings are pretty old," he warned as he opened his book.

Daisuke nodded and pulled the first book close to him and, carefully opening it, began to read.

The two studied their respective books in comfortable silence, the quiet broken only by the occasional whisper of a carefully-turned page.

After a while, Daisuke put the book down and stretched.

_Tired, Daisuke?_

_Nah, just stiff after sitting still for so long,_ Daisuke replied cheerfully.

_Well, don't get too stiff. We have a heist tonight, remember? _Dark said sternly.

_I forgot! _Daisuke glanced at his watch in near-panic. He only had an hour left.

"Late for something?" Satoshi inquired, faint humor sparkling in his eyes.

"No, not yet," Daisuke said, standing up. He peered at the still-seated commander. "So, were you going to tell me it was getting late, or were you going to let me miss the heist?"

Satoshi shrugged, standing as well. "I was curious as to how long it would take for you to remember."

Daisuke made a face at him and picked up his bag. He walked out first, and Satoshi carefully closed the door behind them.

The redhead gestured to the closed door across the hall. "Is that your dad's room?"

"No," Satoshi said shortly, the humor fading from his face.

"Oh. Well, where does he sleep, then?" Daisuke asked, mildly confused.

"I live alone, Niwa," Satoshi said shortly.

"Why?" The redhead was now definitely confused. "Why don't you live with your dad?"

Satoshi sighed deeply as he walked back to the main living room. "It was a mutual decision. It was decided that I would work better if I lived on my own."

"Your school work or your 'catching Dark' work?" Daisuke asked, casually looking over at him.

"My catching Dark," Satoshi replied neutrally.

"Is that why you changed your name?" Daisuke carefully watched his face.

Satoshi shot a glance back at him, a startled look in his eyes fading to amused appreciation. "You're more intelligent than you act, Niwa."

Daisuke nodded once, smiling slightly. "Thanks."

Satoshi looked away again. "He's not really my father," he said distantly. "My mother died when I was born, and I never knew my real father. Hiwatari Kei is my guardian. He adopted me a few years ago, and my name was changed to his."

"I…" Daisuke trailed off. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Why?" Satoshi looked at him oddly. "It's not your fault."

"I shouldn't have asked," Daisuke said apologetically.

The commander sighed. "If I was sensitive about it, I wouldn't have told you."

The phone rang before Daisuke could reply to that. Satoshi reached over and picked it up. "Hiwatari," he said coolly. "Yes, I'm coming. I'll be there in a few minutes." A pause. "I got tied up." Another pause, and whatever the person said caused the teen's eyes to widen slightly. "That's not necessary. Just send a car." His eyes flicked to Daisuke standing by the couch. "I'll be down as soon as possible." He hung up.

"Are you late for something?" Daisuke asked mischievously.

Satoshi gave him a Look. "I was supposed to be at the museum half an hour ago. They were wondering where I was."

"So what wasn't necessary?" he asked curiously.

The commander sighed. "Didn't your parents ever teach you that it's not polite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"

"Nope," Daisuke replied cheerfully. "You could miss valuable information by being polite."

"Niwa," Satoshi muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard.

Daisuke pretended not to notice. "So what wasn't necessary?"

"My father wanted to come get me," Satoshi said as he picked up his jacket and headed toward the door.

"Oh." Daisuke followed. "Why didn't you want him to come over?"

He saw Satoshi sigh again as he opened the door. "I didn't think it was necessary for my father to see me, the cop, spending time with you, the thief. My father does not have much in the way of a sense of humor."

The redhead nodded knowingly. "Yeah, my parents get all freaked out about you too..."

_Daisuke, wait a sec…_ Dark interrupted. _His **father**?_

Daisuke suddenly realized what that meant and jerked his head back to gaze at Satoshi, eyes wide. "You mean your father knows about me?"

Satoshi's face suddenly grew blank, and he turned away from the boy for a moment, pulling the door closed again and stepping back into the apartment.

"You told him?" Daisuke gaped at him as Satoshi turned back around.

The other boy winced. "No, I didn't. He just…knows."

"How does he know?!" Daisuke could hear his voice getting louder, but he didn't really care. "How many other people know? Are a bunch of police going to come to my house and arrest me? Maybe get the rest of my family for being accessories to the crime? And what about Jii-chan? What's the statue of limitations on art thefts, anyway?"

"Two years to recover stolen art from unknowing owners, in Japan. It's longer when the owners are knowingly harboring stolen art," Satoshi answered automatically.

_Of course **he** would know that,_ Dark said sourly.

Daisuke paused for a moment, wind taken momentarily out of his sails.

Satoshi took advantage of the brief silence. "My father is the only one who knows, Niwa. No one else."

"Well, how does he know?" Daisuke asked, still upset.

The commander closed his eyes briefly in frustration and leaned against his door. "I never had parents, Niwa. I was taken care of by Hiwatari Yoshiro, my current guardian's father. He was my mother's lawyer and the executor of her will. He knew about the curse. He had to know, in order to train me in the Hikari duty."

"So he and your guardian know, then?" he frowned.

"No. Hiwatari Yoshiro was killed several years ago, which is why Hiwatari Kei found out and adopted me. He is the only one who knows," the commander repeated. "However, he will not interfere."

Daisuke's frown deepened. "Why not? He's the police commissioner, isn't he?"

"Yes, but he knows who and what I am. We have agreed that I have the best chance of catching Dark. I'm in charge of your case, so he won't do anything."

"But if he's not involved, why don't you want him to see me with you?" Daisuke asked, confused.

Satoshi looked uncomfortable. "Everyone has something to hide from their parents, Niwa."

The redhead considered that for a moment. He nodded, letting the matter drop. He stepped forward, towards the door. "Maybe you should wait a few minutes after I leave before you come down, then."

The commander nodded, his usual implacable expression on his face. Daisuke could see the grateful look in his eyes, however. "That would probably be wise. It would be a good idea if you went out the side door, as well."

"All right," Daisuke nodded. He opened the door, paused and looked back at Satoshi. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Actually," Satoshi said dryly, "You'll probably see me a little bit sooner than that."

Daisuke smiled slightly at that and walked out.

XXXXX

"I'm home," Daisuke called much later that evening as he pushed open the door, hitching the bag with the night's take, a reputedly magic mirror, higher on his shoulder.

His mother appeared out of nowhere and wrapped him in a huge hug. He squeaked slightly in surprise and dropped the bag. His eyes widened as the priceless and extremely fragile artwork fell toward the floor. Emiko caught the bag's strap without even looking. "Excellently done, Dai-chan!" she praised, squeezing him again.

"Mom," Daisuke protested somewhat breathlessly.

"It was a beautiful heist," she said, clapping her hands once, "And we thought you weren't going to make it on time!"

The redhead shrugged with a slight smile. "Well, I did."

_Excuse you._ Dark sounded affronted.

"We did," Daisuke corrected himself.

Emiko stepped back as Kosuke, Towa, and Daiki appeared. "Nicely done," Daiki said thoughtfully, "But your form when you scaled that building was sloppy. You need to practice more." He turned to his son-in-law. "Don't you agree?"

Kosuke had already opened the bag and was admiring the mirror. "You know, a lot of the literature I've looked at has said that this mirror can show glimpses of your future."

Daiki sighed and turned back to Daisuke. "Anyway, you need to practice more."

"He's right," Emiko agreed thoughtfully. "You've been skimping slightly on your practicing." She moved into lecture mode. "You know, if you don't use these skills, you lose them."

"I get plenty of practice," Daisuke protested. "You have me steal stuff at least twice a week, and you try to kill me every day after school, and now even **before **school, with those obstacle courses."

"But you've been coming home so late everyday that you're not getting in the actual practices," Daiki said sternly. "What have you been doing after school, anyway?"

"Are you spending time with your Sacred Maiden?" Towa said teasingly.

Daisuke felt his face get warmer.

_You've got to do something about the blushing,_ Dark sighed. _You give yourself away every time._

The adults smiled knowingly. Daiki shook his head mock-sadly. "I've been abandoned by my grandson for the Harada girl." He looked at Emiko and Kosuke imploringly and held out a corner of his blue kimono. "Do you think he'd pay more attention to me if I wore something different?"

They laughed, and Daisuke gave a long-suffering sigh. "I do not spend all of my time with Riku-san," he stated. "I do lots of stuff after school." He began to tick them off on his fingers. "The main one lately has been play practice, but I also have my chores at school, and I have to do Saehara's most of the time, and sometimes I watch Riku-san and her team practice, but I've been spending a lot of time doing research lately."

"What kind of research?" Kosuke asked, packing the mirror back in its insulating cover.

_That probably wasn't the best of ideas_, Dark said softly.

"I've been looking up stuff about Freedert and the Second Hand of Time. After it broke, Dark and I noticed a weird magical feeling, almost a pressure," Daisuke said earnestly, ignoring Dark. "I wanted to know more about it."

"Have you found anything?" his father asked. "I've hardly been able to find anything about the original story, or about the Second Hand of Time as a Hikari piece."

"Well," Daisuke said as he followed his family into the living room, "So far I've only found the name of the artist, Hikari Akemi. But this was the just the first day, and I'm sure I'll find more information."

Almost as one, the adults turned to look at the teen. "The artist's name was Hikari Akemi?" Daiki asked curiously, sitting down on the couch. Emiko turned to talk to Towa about tea.

Daisuke nodded, flopping down next to his grandfather.

Kosuke looked impressed. "I wasn't able to find that anywhere. What book did you find it in?"

_Uh-oh. _ Daisuke froze.

_Told you it wasn't a good idea_, Dark reminded him self-righteously.

Surprised at his son's sudden silence, Kosuke studied the teen as he sat down on the bottom step of the stairs leading to the teen's room.

_No quick escapes that way. Clever of him. _

"Daisuke?" his father prompted.

"Well, I didn't catch the title, since it was a really old book," the redhead said weakly.

"And you found this where?" Kosuke pressed, beginning to suspect something was up.

"Hiwatari-kun's place?" Daisuke offered faintly.

Kosuke's jaw dropped.

Emiko whirled. "You went to his house?!" she asked incredulously. "Why on earth did you do that? Anything could have happened! He could have captured you!"

"He let you in the Hikari archives?" Kosuke asked in awe.

"No Niwa has ever seen the Hikari archives," Daiki said in a similarly awed tone.

Emiko glared at the men, who didn't notice, as they were gazing at Daisuke.

The redheaded teen looked worriedly at the ring of adults surrounding him. "Hiwatari-kun said I could use them to look up stuff about the Second Hand of Time since he was busy."

Daiki's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "He let you in the Hikari archives without supervision?"

"No," Daisuke hastened to say. "He was there today, looking up stuff too."

"Still," Kosuke said distantly, "To have access to the Hikari archives… Every arcane researcher I know would give their right arm to have that opportunity."

Emiko looked upset. "Are you actually suggesting that Daisuke continue to go to the Hikari's residence just so you can satisfy some scholarly **thing**?!"

"Hey, he's my friend!" Daisuke protested. "You let me go to my other friends' houses!"

The adults ignored him as they continued to argue.

Getting annoyed, Daisuke opened his mouth to defend Satoshi again.

_Hey, chill out, Daisuke. Let Kosuke and Daiki calm her down. _

"Emiko," Kosuke said soothingly from his spot. "I'm sure the Hikari boy doesn't want to do Daisuke any harm."

"You're sure?" she asked sarcastically, folding her arms.

"Think of the opportunity," Daiki said calmly. "This is our chance to find out more about the axe."

"Wait, what?" Daisuke asked, confused.

"Yes," Kosuke agreed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "We've been able to find very little about the Edge of Sorrows through our usual sources. This might be our only hope of learning more about it."

_I think they want you to look up stuff about the axe when Hiwatari's not looking._

_I can't do that!_ Daisuke was horrified.

_Why not? _Dark was genuinely confused.

"Well…" Emiko was clearly not certain, but was at least willing to listen. "It would be nice if we could learn more about its capabilities."

"Hey!" Daisuke said loudly. The adults stopped talking and turned to him. Somewhat surprised by their attention, Daisuke stopped. He cleared his throat. "I don't think Hiwatari-kun will let me in the archives without supervision," he said slowly. "I'm not sure I'd be able to find anything while he's watching."

"He'll let his guard down eventually," Daiki said dismissively. "You'll find the time if you pay attention."

"But that would be taking advantage of him!" Daisuke said hotly. "He's doing this as a favor to me."

Emiko sighed. "He's a Hikari. He's probably letting you do this so you'll owe him later."

The redhead frowned. "Mom, he's not like that."

"Daisuke," Kosuke said softly, resting his chin on his folded hands. "I know Hikari-san is your friend, but we need the information about this axe. The Edge of Sorrows is reputed to be the most powerful artwork since the Black Wings, stronger than the Second Hand of Time, but almost nothing was written about it. It's only mentioned once in any of our texts, when it talks about it in connection to the Black Wings." He paused and looked at his son sadly. "We really need to know about it and what it does in order to seal it."

Daisuke frowned. "But—" His parents had explained to him the role of the Black Wings months ago when he'd demanded to know about Krad and why he was possessing Hiwatari-kun. He knew it was important, but the idea of taking advantage of Hiwatari-kun's trust in him was galling.

Kosuke stood up and patted his son on the shoulder. "It's late, and you have school tomorrow. Just think about it, okay?"

Sighing, the redhead nodded.

"Right. Off to bed with you," Emiko said, swatting at him affectionately. "And you did do a pretty good job tonight."

Daisuke smiled slightly. "Thanks Mom." He headed up the stairs, unbuckling the myriad straps on Dark's costume as he went.

_So what do you think?_ he asked as he shut the door behind him and stripped off his shirt.

_About looking at Hiwatari's books behind his back? _

_Yeah._

Dark shrugged. _Daisuke, I'm inclined to agree with Kosuke on this one. We need that information. If the axe has anything to do with the Black Wings, it could be really important. _

Daisuke sighed as he slipped into his pajamas. _I know, but I really hate taking advantage of Hiwatari like that. _

Dark grinned suddenly. _Oh come on, it'd be like pulling a heist right under the Honorable Commander's nose. Tell me that doesn't thrill you, just a bit._

The redhead rolled his eyes as he crawled into bed. _Why do you dislike him so much?_

_He's a Hikari,_ Dark said, as if that explained everything. And for him, it did.

Daisuke gave up and went to sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

_ASN: groveling slightly I'm sorry it's late! Really I am._

_AN: disapproving I can't leave you for a minute. This wouldn't happen if you would actually go to bed on time. And then wake up on time so you could post before going to class instead of after you get home._

_ASN: Yeah…but I had an excuse._

_AN: What could possibly distract you enough to neglect our readers? What evil is leading you astray from the importance of our work?! What were you doing?!!_

_ASN: Surfing the amazing repository of **stuff** that is Youtube._

_AN: Oh. Well that's okay then._

**Chapter 7**

Daisuke whistled cheerfully as he sauntered into school. _I am early today! The last time I came to school early was the day I was trying to give that note to Harada-san._

_Hooray for you._ Dark was not a morning person.

_Oh, come on, Dark. Think of how much I can get done before school starts._ Daisuke was quite proud of himself. _I can talk to my friends, I can make plans with Riku-san for this afternoon, I can avoid being jumped on by Saehara. I am on top of things! _He smiled triumphantly. _I can do **anything**!_

_You could study for that test you have first period,_ Dark said sarcastically.

Daisuke's eyes widened. _Oh, **no**! _He broke into a run. _Why didn't you tell me this earlier?_

_I hate morning people,_ Dark griped. _You had it coming. _

Daisuke turned the corner and increased speed. He could see the classroom in sight. _Well, at least I can study for a little bit. _

With his usual impeccable sense of timing, Satoshi opened the door just as Daisuke skidded toward it. Unable to stop, Daisuke toppled into him, knocking both of them to the floor.

"Ow," Daisuke moaned, rubbing his head as he sat back up…nose to nose with Satoshi. "Eep."

Surprised blue eyes blinked back at him behind clear lenses. Satoshi had simply fallen backwards, landing on his rear. Daisuke, on the other hand, had ended up sprawled inelegantly across the commander's lap.

_Well, yes, I'd definitely say you're on top of things,_ Dark said dryly. _Literally. _

Daisuke froze, staring in stunned embarrassment at Satoshi's face, a mere five centimeters away.

"Niwa…" Satoshi said in a surprisingly gentle voice, considering the circumstances. "Get off."

Daisuke scrambled off, blushing furiously. He leapt to his feet…to see practically the entire class staring at him. Apparently, everyone else had shown up early to study, too.

Silence reigned for a moment, and then one of the girls giggled.

That set the rest of the class off.

As laughter rang around the classroom, Daisuke blushed darker.

_I don't think that shade of red is healthy, Daisuke._

_Shut up, Dark._

_If it had been anyone other than Hiwatari, I would say it was kinda cute._

_Shut **up**, Dark!_

"Are you okay, Niwa?" Satoshi asked softly as he arose.

"Would you do me a favor and just kill me please?" the redhead responded faintly.

A small, almost imperceptible smile that only Daisuke saw graced Satoshi's lips as he turned away. The older teen's gaze swept over the classroom, cold and disdainful, and their tittering classmates quickly quieted and headed to their seats. Satoshi nodded once in apparent satisfaction and returned to his desk.

Daisuke slunk to his chair.

_You know, there is one thing I will give the Hikari, _Dark said reluctantly. _No one else can say more while saying nothing at all. _

With a sigh, Daisuke pulled his notebook out and settled down to cram.

XXXXX

_Hey, Daisuke. _Dark sounded unusually serious. _Take a break from your research and pretend to stretch for me. _

Daisuke blinked, shaking his head as he forcibly pulled himself back to the present. _What?_

_Lean back and look around the room._

The redhead obediently leaned back in his chair, letting his gaze wander as he stretched his arms over his head. _What are we looking for?_

_I want to see the book titles. See if there's anything useful. _

Daisuke frowned, though he continued his surveillance. _Sorry, Dark, but I can't read the titles from here. _

_I can,_ the thief said serenely. _This is why I am a phantom thief and you are merely mortal. Go back and look at that corner again. _

Daisuke deliberately looked back down at his open book.

_That was rude. _

_I don't think it's a good idea to look at his books, Dark, _Daisuke told him heatedly.

Dark shrugged. _That's okay. I don't want you to look at his books. _

Daisuke paused in his inner rant, thrown. _Really?_

_Of course not. _The thief sounded utterly reasonable. _He doesn't trust you yet. See? He's looking at you right now. _

_What?_ Daisuke looked up from the book to find Satoshi staring at him with his all-knowing gaze.

"Is something wrong, Niwa?"

Daisuke laughed nervously and fidgeted in his chair. "Just a backache. Your chairs are kinda hard and…I don't usually sit still this long."

A corner of Satoshi's mouth twitched with what seemed to be amusement, and the older teen looked back down at his book.

_Nice one,_ Dark said in admiration. _I think he bought that. _

_Probably because it was the truth, _Daisuke snapped. _Look, Dark, it doesn't matter if he trusts me or not. I'm not comfortable with taking advantage of Hiwatari-kun like this, **especially** if he trusts me. _

Dark sighed in frustration. _Fine. Hold on to your high moral ground for as long as you can, Daisuke. You know that we're going to have to do it. Too much depends on it. _

XXXXX

Daisuke came barreling down the stairs, late yet again. He snagged the piece of toast that Towa held out to him and headed for the door. "Bye!"

"Have a good day at school, Dai-chan!" his mother called after him. "And I sent the warning note out this morning, so make sure you're home by seven!"

With an almost audible screech, he came to a halt and looked back at her. "Mom, I have play practice after school today. And Saehara's been holding us later and later every day."

Emiko shrugged as she walked up to her son. "I'm sure he won't mind if you don't go."

"It would be the third time in the last ten days!" He shook his head. "Saehara bit my head off last time. It's too close to the Festival; he won't let me skip."

"Well," she put a finger to her lips in thought. "Maybe you could convince him to let you leave early."

"I don't know, Mom…"

A light suddenly came to her eyes, and she snapped her fingers. "I know! I'll send a reminder when you need to come home, okay?"

Daisuke frowned in confusion. "Mom—"

"Just leave it to me!" She smiled and gently pushed her son toward the door.

"Mom—"

"No worries. I'll make sure he lets you go."

"Mom—"

She winked. "You're going to be late, sweetie."

He glanced at the clock. "Oh, no!" With one last wary look at his mother, Daisuke shrugged it off and ran out the door. She waved.

_I don't even want to know what she has planned,_ Daisuke commented to Dark as he ran.

_Since it's Emiko, it's sure to be a doozy,_ Dark replied. _Wake me when it's time, I want to watch._

With a long-suffering sigh, Daisuke straightened his shoulders and picked up the pace.

XXXXX

"All right! Daisuke, Hiwatari, go take a breather while we try to figure out what's gone wrong with the speakers this time," Saehara ordered. "Come back in three minutes and we'll try the finale. Again."

Daisuke groaned and walked backstage, running a hand across his eyes to wipe away some of the sweat. Immediately, three of the costume girls were at his side.

"Niwa-kun! Stop messing up your eyeshadow," one scolded.

"Really! We try so hard to get you in character, the least you could do would be to leave your makeup alone," another told him as she opened a compact case.

By now, Daisuke knew that fighting was futile, so he just sighed and let them have at it. Once finished, the girls let him go and scurried off to find a new victim.

He turned to go sit for a moment before Saehara wanted him again, but tripped over what he assumed was the hem of his dress and fell down hard.

But when his hem gave a startled 'kyuu', he came to the realization that perhaps his assumption had been incorrect.

"With?!"

The little rabbit creature stuck his head out from between his feet. "Kyuu!" he said, sounding a little upset about being walked on. There was a note tied around his neck.

Daisuke patted him absent-mindedly as he pulled the note off and opened it.

'Dai-chan,' it read, 'all I need for you to do now is give With to one of the girls helping with the play. You'll be out of there in no time. Hugs, Mom. '

_My mother is insane. _

Dark made a thoughtful noise. _I admit I don't know where she's going with this. Try it and see what happens._

"Daisuke!" Saehara yelled from onstage. "Where are you?!"

The redhead cast a glance around backstage, looking for someone to pass the rabbit off to. His eyes landed on Riku, who had managed to make it to play practice that day. Usually she had to go run with her teammates, but practice had been canceled, since a meet had been held earlier that week.

"Riku-san!" He stood, scooped With up, and hurried to her side. "Riku-san, will you do me a favor?"

"What is it, Niwa-kun?" she asked, smiling at him. He shoved With into her arms.

"He managed to find his way here somehow. Will you watch him?"

Her eyes lit up. "Sure!"

Daisuke thanked her and ran onstage, where Saehara was impatiently waiting with Satoshi and Nishimura, the narrator.

"Finally," the self-appointed director said, giving him a glare. "Now, listen up, you all. The finale is the big scene. It makes or breaks the play. It's the huge ending that sends everyone home in tears. So it has to be good. It has to come from the **heart**. Understand?"

"We know, Saehara," Nishimura sighed. "You give us this speech at every practice."

"All right, everyone, places!" Saehara directed, ignoring the comment completely as he hurried into the wing. "Ready and…action!"

Nishimura dutifully began his lines. Daisuke waited for the lights to come back on—that was his cue. But Nishimura finished his part, and the lights stayed off.

"Lights!" Saehara hissed. "Where are the lights?"

Nothing happened.

"CUT!" Saehara stomped back onstage. "Where is the light technician?!"

There was still no response. With a growl, Saehara disappeared backstage, and Daisuke, Satoshi and Nishimura followed, curious.

Every single girl who was working on the play, including the girl in charge of lighting, was gathered around Riku and With, cooing.

"Awww! It's soo cute!"

"What's his name?"

"Look! I swear he smiled at me!"

Saehara pushed his way through the mass and glared at Riku. "What's going on?"

"It's just a little break," she said defensively as she passed With to someone else to cuddle. "They wanted to see Niwa-kun's rabbit."

The director spun, turning his eyes on Daisuke. "**Your** rabbit?! Why'd you bring him here?"

Daisuke looked sheepish. "I didn't. He just kinda showed up on his own."

"Rabbits don't do that!"

"He's special," Daisuke offered, a sudden urge to laugh tugging at him.

"Oh, calm down, Saehara," the girl now holding With said. "Look at how cute he is!"

"Please," Saehara grumped, rolling his eyes. "We have things to do."

"You're no fun," she sniffed. Then, she turned to Satoshi, holding the rabbit out to him. "What do you think, Hiwatari-kun?"

With's fur fluffed slightly, and he hissed at the teen. Daisuke cringed, and Satoshi's eyes narrowed.

Instantly, half of the girls gathered nearby were grouped protectively around With, eyeing Satoshi distrustfully. "What did you do to him, Hiwatari-kun?" someone demanded.

"I don't think he likes me," Satoshi said calmly, though the look he was giving Daisuke's pet was not overly friendly.

"I guess Hiwatari-kun's not one for animals," one girl whispered. The rest of the group giggled.

Obviously recognizing that as long as With was around, he was never going to regain control, Saehara sighed loudly. "Daisuke!"

"Yeah, Saehara?" Daisuke tried to look sorry, but it was getting harder and harder to keep from laughing.

"Take the bunny and get out of here so we can get something done." Saehara jerked a thumb toward the door.

Sudden hope replaced Daisuke's desire to snicker at the situation. "You mean, I can leave?"

"You're gonna work twice as hard tomorrow, or else," Saehara said threateningly. "Now get rid of him!"

"Here, Niwa-kun." The girl who was holding With dumped him back into his hands. "You should bring him by more often."

"We'll see," he mumbled to her as Saehara's face darkened. "Bye, everyone!"

Daisuke quickly struggled out of his dress and gleefully wiped the makeup off, and then he was gone, With tucked into his bag.

_I can't believe it. That actually worked._ Dark sounded impressed.

_Mom's ideas are crazy, but they're usually pretty good,_ Daisuke agreed.

_So are we going to be late?_

_Nope_, Daisuke said cheerfully. _I can definitely be home by seven, and I don't even have to run._

_Good,_ Dark said happily, _that means that you'll be rested up enough to try something interesting tonight._

Daisuke's good mood fell abruptly flat. _What do you mean, 'interesting?'_

He could almost see Dark's manic smile. _Wait and see._


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Daaaaark_, Daisuke whined, _Do we really have to do this?_

Dark finished relieving the unconscious guard of his uniform shirt and jacket. He slipped them on. _Of course. It's a disguise. Surely you didn't expect me to waltz into the gallery wearing my normal clothes._

_You usually do_, Daisuke said sourly.

Dark grinned as he plopped the guard's cap on his head, carefully covering the spiky purple hair. _Well, tonight's different._ He dragged the unconscious guard further into the bushes and straightened up. _All right, here we go!_

He emerged from the side of the building and casually wandered up the front steps to the gallery entrance.

A large man in a brown overcoat stopped him. "Why aren't you at your post?" he barked.

Dark saluted. "On my way, sir!" He trotted past the man and headed into the building as if he knew were he was going.

_Was that Saehara's dad? They look kinda alike, _Daisuke mused.

Dark rolled his eyes as he turned a corner. _Who cares? We're looking for a jeweled scepter, and we need to focus. Nothing can distract us from our goal._

A curvy policewoman in uniform was hunkered down in a corner further down the hall, guarding the stairwell.

_Well, almost nothing,_ Dark grinned as he veered off to approach her.

"Who are you? Where's your position?" she asked, standing up. The movement made her uniform pull tight in interesting places.

_Lecher!_ Daisuke scolded.

Dark's grin widened. "I'm your backup."

The woman rolled her eyes—brown, not ice-blue, Dark noticed gratefully—and patted a fairly large automatic. "This is all the backup I need."

Dark smiled at her. "I'm sure," he commented softly. Against her will, the woman began to melt. He stepped closer to her. "So, I don't think I've met you before," he said with a winning smile. He tipped her chin up with a finger. "What's a cute little thing like you doing on the police force?"

The woman looked into the deep, dark eyes and swallowed hard. "You know, I could probably take you up on sexual harassment charges," she said hoarsely.

Dark stepped closer. "Am I harassing you?"

"Almost," the woman breathed.

He delicately brushed her hair away from her face. "Should I leave, then?"

Indecision danced in her eyes for a moment, then she deliberately stepped back, taking a deep breath as she did so. "You should go to your post."

Dark nodded cheerfully. "If you say so." He turned to go, and looked back over his shoulder. "You were definitely the highlight of my evening, though, Suzuki-san."

She waved shyly and turned back to the stairwell.

Dark sauntered back down the hall, humming cheerfully.

_What was that all about?_ Daisuke said disapprovingly. _Do you have to flirt with every pretty girl you see?_

Dark shrugged. _Life's short, Daisuke. You should try it sometime. However, I did have more of a motive than just making time with Suzuki-san._

_How did you know her name, anyway?_ the redhead asked.

_I am the great phantom thief Dark. I know all and see all._

Daisuke made a rude noise.

_It was on her nametag, genius. _Dark pulled a walkie-talkie out of his pocket and flicked it on. A babble of voices came over it, and Daisuke could recognize Hiwatari-kun's voice among them, giving orders.

_Where did you get that?_

Dark grinned, very pleased with himself. _I pick-pocketed it from Suzuki-san when I touched her hair._

Daisuke sighed deeply. _Why?_

The grin on Dark's face was positively evil. _Cause it's part of the plan._

XXXXX

Satoshi sighed as he kept an eye on the skies for a sign of Dark's appearance. The thief should be here any minute, but the commander had a suspicion that Dark wouldn't make his usual flashy entrance today.

The voices over his walkie-talkie crackled as the officers finished getting into place. The plan was simple: to let the thief in and simply block every exit. The gallery had recently been updated with windows made from an unbreakable clear plastic polymer. Satoshi almost hoped Dark would try to crash through one. He'd bounce right off, and the thief's subsequent concussion should make him fairly easy to catch.

There were only a few doors, and Satoshi had ordered the officers to bar them as soon as the thief was spotted inside. Dark could try to go through the ventilation system, but all of the vents had been welded on. He'd have very little chance of getting through without magic.

Satoshi was allowing himself a vague sense of hope for this plan. If the officers performed their duties, Dark should have a harder than usual time getting out of this one.

And then the radio went crazy.

"Dark's been spotted in the Impressionist section!" one officer reported.

"That's impossible," another said incredulously. "He just ran by the Modern wing; I'm right behind him!"

"No! He's in the sculpture gallery."

"The Egyptian exhibit. I'm in pursuit!"

Satoshi's hand tightened on the radio. With the thief's familiar, he could manage to be in two places at once, but four?

"It's a trick! Stay at your positions!" He began to run, passing the surprised guard at the front door.

"Officers, report in," he snapped.

"Inoue here."

"Kurosawa here."

The officers obediently rattled off their names and where they were currently running to. Satoshi's brow furrowed as he continued to run up the stairs to the exhibit where the scepter was located. Where was Suzuki?

"Lieutenant Suzuki?" he tried. "Report."

"Sir," a crisp voice responded. Satoshi frowned. He could clearly hear the buzz of an emergency exit sign in the background. Suzuki's post was nowhere near an exit.

"Do you have anything to report?" he asked again.

"Just a question sir," came the answer. "Is your refrigerator running?"

Satoshi's mouth tightened. He slowed down and came around the corner quietly. Looking carefully, he could see Dark tucked away in a nearby nook, lighted by the dull red light of an emergency exit sign. The thief had a police-issue walkie-talkie in one hand, was twirling the scepter between the fingers of his other hand, and was snickering.

The commander crept up behind the thief and tapped him on the shoulder. "No."

Dark whirled, eyes wide and surprised for one very satisfying moment. Satoshi plucked the scepter from unresisting fingers and glared down at the thief. "That joke is older than you," he informed Dark wryly, "And that's saying something."

Dark shrugged, composure restored. He started to stand.

"No," Satoshi ordered. "Don't move. How did you get the lieutenant's radio?"

"You're too young to understand." Dark grinned suggestively.

Satoshi started to reach for his handcuffs, but froze as he saw Dark twitch. For a moment, they both stared, waiting for the other to move first.

Dark shot to his feet, and Satoshi instantly moved forward, handcuffs materializing in his hand. However, his target was no longer there, as Dark had dropped back to the ground and kicked Satoshi's legs out from under him. Satoshi turned his fall into a lunge, and managed to get one of the cuffs around Dark's wrist before he hit the ground hard on his right shoulder, still clutching the scepter.

The thief, back on his feet, kicked at the artwork, but Satoshi pulled it closer even as he jumped back to his feet.

The two squared off, wary and circling.

"Your move," the thief smirked.

And then Satoshi felt a thud from behind as the demon-rabbit bounced into his hand, knocking the scepter out of his grasp. Dark lunged for the falling scepter, pushing the commander into a wall as he snatched it out of midair, and bolting down the hall to the emergency exit, his familiar close behind.

Satoshi got back to his feet, rubbing his shoulder as he glared balefully down the hall at the fleeing thief. He had too much of a head start to catch, but Satoshi could still see the empty part of the handcuff dangling behind him as he ran. He picked up the discarded radio.

"Dark's heading toward the north exit," he said coldly. "Is anyone still at their post to catch him?"

A chorus of confused babbles was his answer, and Satoshi closed his eyes. He turned off the radio with a sharp flick of his wrist and stalked downstairs as Dark made yet another clean getaway.

Perhaps a new strategy should be implemented in the future.

This would require some thought.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

With practice time quickly running out, Saehara was getting impatient with the way the play was progressing. And he didn't hesitate to show it.

"Cut! What do you think you're doing?!" He stomped over to the lighting girls. "For the last time, I want the spotlight on Daisuke to be a **muted yellow**, not neon orange! Can't you do anything right?"

One of the girls sniffed at him. "It's not neon, and Takara said she liked this light better."

"Takara is in charge of costumes, not lighting!" Saehara snapped. "Where is she?"

Daisuke gratefully took advantage of the break to sneak offstage for a quick rest. He snagged a doughnut from where Saehara had set them up (donated from his dad, he'd said), and glanced around for Riku. She had said earlier that track practice wouldn't conflict today, but he didn't see her anywhere.

"Niwa-kun?"

He turned, and she smiled at him. "And where are you wandering off to?"

"Oh, I was looking for you," he said, smiling back at her.

"What is it?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted some company before I had to go back out there." He tugged on one lock of his wig half-heartedly. "And you're one of the few people who can look at me dressed like this without laughing too loudly."

The tiny smirk that had surfaced at his movement instantly vanished. "Oh, Niwa-kun, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings—"

"It's okay, Riku-san," he assured her. "I know I look silly."

"Well…"

The lights onstage flickered a few times. "Okay, let's get Daisuke and Hiwatari back out here," Saehara announced loudly. "Hey, you two, come here!"

Daisuke gave Riku an apologetic look and did as told, Satoshi following him a second later.

"All right, Takara," Saehara said, sweeping a hand at the two boys, "that's how they look under your lighting. I personally think it's all wrong."

The costume girl tossed her head. "That's because you have no sense of taste," she responded waspishly. "They look wonderful."

"No, they don't," Saehara argued. "It's too bright. You can't see them at all, especially in the back."

"Look, you—" Takara began, waving a finger at him. She was interrupted by a startled gasp from one of her helpers.

"Hiwatari-kun! Your costume!"

Satoshi gave her a blank look. "Pardon?"

She pointed at the left shoulder of his jacket. "Look! The seam's beginning to pull. We need to fix it."

"We should do it now, before we forget," another girl agreed. "Why don't you go ahead and take the jacket off?"   
Satoshi did not look pleased with the idea. "I don't think that's necessary."   
A demented light was beginning to grow in a majority of the girls' eyes. "Oh, no, take it off. You're wearing an undershirt, Hiwatari-kun, it'll be okay."

Daisuke could see the hesitation in Satoshi's face. "Maybe it can wait until later—" he began. Takara elbowed him in the side, and Daisuke belatedly remembered that she was one of Satoshi's biggest admirers.

"Nonsense," she pronounced. "If we don't fix it now, it'll just get worse. Please, Hiwatari-kun?"

Irritation flicked briefly in Satoshi's expression, but he finally sighed. "If it is that vital," he said. He quickly unfastened the jacket and slipped it off, depositing it in Takara's waiting arms. "Can we continue?"

No one spoke, including Daisuke. He, along with everyone else onstage, was staring at Satoshi's arm.

Since the undershirt was sleeveless, it was easy to see that the right shoulder and arm were badly bruised all over, a mix of purple, brown and sickly yellow. Takara and the other costume girls looked horrified.

"What happened, Hiwatari?" Saehara asked curiously.   
Satoshi did not look as though he appreciated the prying looks. "I fell into a wall," he told him coolly.

Daisuke abruptly recalled the events of the heist the night before. In his rush to get away, Dark had pushed Satoshi into the wall of the museum. And he hadn't been overly nice about it, either.

_Dark! _

_Mpmh?_ Dark sounded woozy. _What do ya want? _

_Look at Hiwatari-kun's arm! Did you have to push him so hard?_

Dark studied the teen and his next words had an undercurrent of confusion. _It wasn't that bad. Certainly not to do something like that. _

_But it had to have been you. How else would he get hurt? _

"Oh, Hiwatari-kun!" Takara actually dared to move closer to Satoshi. "Should I go with you to the nurse?"

The withering look he gave her more than sufficiently answered the question. "It's fine."

After a moment of awkward silence, Saehara cleared his throat loudly. "Okay. Girls, go fix whatever wrong's with Hiwatari's costume and get back here. We still have lots to do today. Daisuke, get your head out of the clouds!"

He waved a hand in front of Daisuke's nose, and the redhead jumped. "Sorry, Saehara," he responded. "What scene are we doing?"

The self-appointed director sighed. "Your death scene. For the third time. Geez, do you ever pay attention?"

"Not to you," Daisuke muttered as he hurried over to his position.

Practice slowly wound down as a majority of the crew and even a couple members of the cast continued to miss cues because they were staring warily at Hiwatari. Saehara looked like he was ready to burst when he had to cue the sound girls for the third time. "All right, just forget it," he said loudly, heaving his megaphone into the wings. "Practice is over for today, since we're not getting anything done." He stomped offstage, but yelled back over his shoulder, "You guys had better be more on task tomorrow, or we'll be the worst group at the Cultural Festival."

"I think he might be the only one who cares," Daisuke muttered to Nishimura. The boy rolled his eyes in response and hurried offstage to change.

Riku came bouncing up. "Niwa-kun! You were good today."

"Thanks," came Daisuke's muffled voice as he pulled the dress over his head. His head popped out finally, his hair even spikier than normal. "Wait, I was?"

"Of course," she grinned happily. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to walk home with me today?"

Daisuke grinned back and opened his mouth to agree…and saw Satoshi on the other side of the stage shrugging into his uniform shirt. "Actually, Riku-san," he said slowly, "I need to talk to Hiwatari-kun."

"Oh." She glanced down, disappointed, but looked back up with a hesitant smile. "Want me to wait for you?"

"Sure," Daisuke smiled gently at her and strode off. Hiwatari was walking through the backstage, heading for the hall door. "Hiwatari-kun!" he called.

The teen turned and looked at him expressionlessly. "Yes, Niwa?"

Daisuke caught up with him and, looking around for classmates within earshot, lowered his voice. "Did we do that?"

Satoshi looked surprised for a second, then comprehension dawned. "My shoulder." His face tightened. "Since Dark's the only one who's been throwing me into walls lately…"

_Hey, I did **not** throw him that hard!_

The redhead winced. "Sorry about that. Dark says he didn't mean to push you that hard."

_That's not what I said_, Dark protested. Daisuke ignored him.

Satoshi looked skeptical. "Dark says that?"

"More or less."

_Less_, Dark pouted.

The commander continued to look doubtful for a moment, and then he sighed. "It's not as bad as it looks, Niwa. I just bruise easily."

_Probably a side effect of being so pale_, Dark mused.

Daisuke considered this, then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Is that why you usually wear long-sleeved shirts?"

Satoshi merely raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes."

"Niwa-kun!" Daisuke turned to see Harada Risa standing next to her sister and waving. "Are you walking home with us or not?"

"Coming!" he called. He turned back to Satoshi, smiling apologetically. "I have to go walk Riku-san home, and then Mom wants me to pick something up at the library, so I'll be by in an hour or so, if that's okay."

The commander paused. "What does your mother want now?"

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Auction records. Don't ask me; I don't know why."

_Emiko never does anything without reason,_ Dark commented. _Maybe we should ask her about it. _

Satoshi shrugged. "An hour's fine. I'll see you later, Niwa." With that, he turned and continued on his way.

Daisuke jogged back to the twins and smiled at them. "Ready?" he asked cheerfully.

Riku took his hand and the three proceeded to walk out into the autumn afternoon, talking happily.

XXXXX

No matter what angle he took, Satoshi still had not been able to find out who Dark's mysterious woman was. He'd combed through the newspapers following the article on the ball, but no mention was made of the pair again. Apparently, they never claimed the prize for best couple.

Eventually, he'd managed to find out who had hosted the party and what sort of people the guest list would have mentioned. But that hadn't really led him anywhere, either. All he'd really found was a comment about how such galas were held for the rich, powerful and influential members of society.

Satoshi was vaguely surprised at that. Who would have thought that Dark's love interest would have been rich?

On second thought, the richer the woman, the more items to steal.

Unfortunately, since Daisuke had started coming to look through his books, he'd had less time to dig deeper into the problem. And it wasn't exactly a subject he could ask Daisuke's opinion on.

"Hiwatari-kun?" The redhead in question looked at him curiously. "You've stopped turning pages. Did you find something that you were looking for?"

Satoshi shook his head. "No, Niwa. I was…distracted."

"Oh."

He returned to the volume on Hikari sculptures that he'd been flipping through, and Satoshi studied him thoughtfully. Perhaps…

"Niwa?"

Daisuke glanced back up. "Yes?"

"I'm trying to find someone, but I cannot," Satoshi said slowly, trying to find a way to phrase his question without revealing his true purpose. "All I have is a photo of her at a dance in costume. What would you do?"

Confusion surfaced on Daisuke's face. "What are you asking?"

"I'm asking what you would do," Satoshi told him calmly. "How would you go about finding someone if all you had was a picture?"

Daisuke leaned back, balancing it precariously on the back two legs as he thought. "Hmm…where was the dance she went to?"

"Here, in Azumano."

"There was no name or anything with the picture?"

Satoshi looked at him, annoyed. "If there was, I don't believe I would have this problem."

"I know," Daisuke agreed, bringing the chair back onto all four legs with a thump. "Well, I don't know what you've done so far, but I'd try and find out if there was a record of her on an invitation list somewhere."

"That would require me to know her name," Satoshi pointed out, somewhat impatiently. This wasn't so helpful, after all.

"Oh, yeah." He looked sheepish. "Did you try finding out where she got her costume?"

Satoshi blinked.

"If she got her costume around here, maybe the person who sold it would have a record of it, you know?" Daisuke continued. "Especially if it was a special costume that not many other people would wear."

The redhead had a way of surprising him. "Thank you, Niwa. You've given me a lot to consider."

"Anytime." He grinned at him…but it suddenly disappeared as something seemed to come to him. "Who are you looking for?"

"The last person who was seen in the whereabouts of a Hikari artwork," Satoshi lied smoothly. "She bought it a few decades ago, but vanished not long after the purchase, and no one knows where she or the artwork went."

There was a strange look on Daisuke's face. "What artwork?" he asked.

"Nothing important," Satoshi responded. "It's getting late; you should go."

Daisuke stood, gathering his papers. "Are you sure it's nothing?" he continued softly, not looking at Satoshi. "I mean, if this artwork is just—gone, and weird things are going on, we should try to find it."

"That's why I'm searching for her, Niwa," Satoshi told him. He was beginning to get a little curious. Why was Daisuke focusing on this?

"Yeah, I guess." The redhead shoved the papers into his bag haphazardly. "But you never know. Maybe I should start looking up stuff about the artwork she had."

"I don't think that's necessary." Suspicion was starting to rear its ugly head. "Why are you so insistent on this?"

As if sensing that he'd overstepped a line, Daisuke waved a hand at him and grinned. "Oh, it's nothing. I just want to help, is all."

He heaved his bag into his shoulder and it promptly tore on one side, since he'd stuffed it so full. "Oh, no!"

Papers fluttered to the ground as books, binders, pencils, and the occasional random knick-knack bounced across the floor of the archive. Daisuke dropped the bag, apologizing profusely even as he chased a little paperweight with a black feather carved on it down before it rolled under a bookshelf.

Satoshi sighed and began collecting the papers and patting them into an orderly pile. Most were notes on schoolwork or the Second Hand of Time. One was a half-finished note to Harada Riku that he set aside in a hurry.

And one was a full picture and description of the Edge of Sorrows.

Mild panic tugged at Satoshi's chest as things clicked into place. It wasn't possible that Daisuke suspected, was it? Was this the artwork he wanted to know about? Was that why he needed the auction records?

"I got it!" Daisuke pulled his hand out from under the bookshelf, holding the paperweight triumphantly aloft.

Quickly, Satoshi shoved the paper into the pile before Daisuke could see that he'd found it. "Here you are, Niwa," he said, trying to sound as calm as usual.

"Thanks." With a sheepish grin, Daisuke accepted the stack from him. "Can I borrow a bag or something?"

"Of course." As Satoshi escorted Daisuke out of the archives, he took a deep breath. It was pointless to worry about it. In any case, they weren't going to find the axe anytime soon.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Daisuke tried to pay attention in his biology class, he really did. However, this was the very last class of the day, and he'd been up late stealing and up even later cramming for his English test this morning. Besides, there wasn't any play practice today, since Saehara had lost his voice from yelling all the time. That meant that as soon as class was over, then he could go to Hiwatari's place and research with him for the entire afternoon.

_You know, you're getting entirely too excited about going to Hiwatari's,_ Dark observed with a frown in his voice.

Daisuke shrugged. _I've learned a lot of neat stuff from his books. I know lots more about Freedert-san, even though we still haven't found exactly what we're looking for._

_Research? _Dark asked incredulously._ You're getting this excited over research? After spending hours and hours in school every day?_

Daisuke smiled slightly. _Learning about this stuff is much more fun than learning about trigonometry and diagramming sentences._

Dark sighed. _You're gonna be a bookworm just like Kosuke unless I do something, aren't you._

_I'm gonna be me, not Dad or Mom or Jii-chan_, Daisuke reminded him. _Just because I like learning about the art I steal doesn't mean I'm a bookworm._ He paused as Dark's words sank in. _What do you mean, 'unless you do something?'_

He could almost see Dark's grin. _What do you think I mean?_

Daisuke had to repress a shudder. _I'm not sure I want to think about it. _

_No, you should. Think about it, I mean._

_Why?_ Daisuke asked warily.

_Cause whatever you think of will probably be worse than anything I can come up with, and then I can use your ideas_, Dark said brightly.

Daisuke resisted the urge to bury his head in his hands.

"Are you awake, Niwa-kun?" a feminine voice asked by his shoulder.

The redhead whirled to see Riku standing there, holding her bag and looking at him in concern. Class was over, and the other students were likewise gathering their bags.

"You were staring off into the distance like you were a million miles away," she said softly, looking at him carefully. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

He shook his head and smiled at her, shoving his notebook into his bag and standing up. "Sorry, Riku-san. I was just thinking. I'm fine."

"Good!" she smiled at him as they walked down the hall. "So, I don't have practice today, and there's no play practice, either. Want to hang out with me for a while?"

Daisuke shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, Riku-san. I have to do something with Hiwatari-kun."

"Again?" Her face tightened somewhat, and she regarded him warily. "You've been spending a lot of time with Hiwatari-kun lately."

"Umm…" Daisuke was slightly thrown.

_You know, I think she's jealous_, Dark said, interested.

_Of **Hiwatari-kun**? Why?_

Dark shrugged. _She's a female. They're not supposed to make sense._

"Hiwatari's helping me with a school project," Daisuke told her.

Her eyes narrowed. "What project? We don't have any projects due."

_Oops._

_Yeah, that excuse doesn't work nearly as well on classmates as it does on parents,_ Dark observed.  
"Well, it's more of an extra-curricular project," he babbled nervously. "But Hiwatari's helping me with the history."

"You know, if you want help with school, I can help too," she said, sounding somewhat hurt.

"It's not that, Riku-san." Daisuke ran a hand through his hair in growing frustration. "It's just that he has some books and stuff that I can't find anywhere else. He's letting me look at them."

"Fine," she said shortly, looking at the ground.

Daisuke stared at her, confused beyond words. "Are you mad at me or something?" he asked, bewildered.

She sighed. "It's just that I hardly get to see you anymore." Riku looked up at him, eyes wide and somewhat nervous. "Are you…are you getting tired of me?"

"No!" Daisuke replied instantly. "I really like you, Riku-san. I mean, really like you."

She blushed, but smiled shyly back at him. "I really like you too, Niwa-kun."

"It's just that…" he sighed. "I'm just kinda busy right now."

"Okay," Riku said softly. "I'll try to be more understanding."

Daisuke grinned at her. "It's fine, Riku-san. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

She smiled at him, but it didn't have the usual fire in it. "Okay."

Daisuke waved at her and jogged off in search of Hiwatari-kun.

If he'd turned around, he would've seen that the look on Riku's face more than suggested that it was not okay.

But he didn't.

XXXXX

Satoshi was annoyed, and he allowed himself the luxury of tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Daisuke. It was bad enough that he had to sit on museum rooftops in the rain or hide in corners too small for the average five-year-old and wait for Dark to appear. He highly resented having to wait for Daisuke, since he was doing him the favor of letting him use the Hikari archives. Any other Niwa would have recognized the honor and been waiting at precisely the correct time, silent and with a look of awed appreciation on their faces.

On the other hand, any other Niwa might have alternatively gone to Satoshi's apartment while he was impatiently waiting for said Niwa to show and stolen the archives while he was gone.

Still, Daisuke was usually on time. Satoshi leaned against the gate and idly wondered what was keeping the redhead…and suddenly froze as the insanity of the situation finally struck him.

When had waiting for Daisuke become habit?

The sun continued to shine, but Satoshi suddenly felt cold. When had Daisuke slipped into his life, becoming more than simply his quarry? When had he become a part of his everyday routine?

When had the Niwa become…a friend?

Satoshi's mouth thinned. He could not afford friends. Especially one that was a Niwa. He abruptly pushed himself away from the gate and started walking towards his apartment, thoughts tumbling in his head as he walked through the crisp autumn afternoon.

This had to end. For both of their sakes.

"Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke came bounding up, cheeks flushed and juggling his books into his bag. "Sorry I'm late; Riku-san wanted to talk…"

Satoshi kept walking, pointedly saying nothing.

The redhead was cheerfully oblivious to Satoshi's stony silence and continued to chatter about that day's lessons. Finally, Satoshi just stopped walking, letting people flow past him. He stepped to the edge of the sidewalk.

Daisuke walked a pace or two further before he realized that the other boy was no longer there. He stopped and swiveled around. "Hiwatari-kun? Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Satoshi said simply. "This is."

The redhead looked confused and stepped next to him, into a small side street. "What is?"

"The two of us. Working together."

"Why?" he said slowly, still clearly confused.

Satoshi sighed. "You have to stay away from me."

Daisuke frowned. "Why?"

The commander stared at him. "I would've thought it would be obvious. We're enemies, Niwa."

The redhead's face grew serious. "Why?" he asked simply.

Satoshi wondered briefly if Daisuke was being deliberately obtuse. "I have to capture Dark."

"Well, you don't **have** to," he replied with a sideways grin.

The commander was not amused. "It's my responsibility, the responsibility of my clan. I have no choice."

"Everyone has a choice," Daisuke said softly, serious again. "You could walk away, Hiwatari-kun."

"You really think so?" Satoshi asked with a raise of his eyebrow. "Would Dark let you walk away from being a phantom thief?"

Daisuke sighed and looked away.

"We're both trapped, Niwa," the commander explained. "We have to play out these roles we were born to fill. We can not be anything other. No matter what we want, no matter what we feel, we were destined to be enemies."

"But we're not," the redhead protested.

"But we ought to be."

"I don't want to be," Daisuke said resolutely, firmly. "Do you?"

Satoshi sighed. "It's not a matter of what I want, Niwa.

"It should be," Daisuke responded with surprising solemnity. "Do you?"

"You have to stay away from me," Satoshi tried again, attempting to convey the inherent danger to the other boy. He got the uneasy feeling he might as well be talking to a brick wall for all the impression it made.

"I'm not afraid of you," Daisuke said softly, almost too softly to be heard.

"You should be," Satoshi replied almost as softly, feeling as if the situation was somehow slipping away from him.

And then Daisuke smiled, a bright sunny smile that lit up the alley. "But I'm not afraid, and we're not enemies. We may be destined to be foes, opposites, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends." His smile grew somewhat wry. "Besides, it's more interesting this way."

Satoshi stared back at him, shaking his head in disbelief tinged with a growing amusement. "'Interesting?' You truly have a gift for understatement, Niwa."

The other boy grinned at him. "So…can we go look up stuff about Freedert-san now?"

The commander resisted the urge to roll his eyes as they began to walk again. "This is a bad idea."

Daisuke shrugged. "Like I said, it will be interesting."

Satoshi shook his head. "You know, Niwa, the ancient Chinese have a curse…"

XXXXX

Emiko was waiting to greet Daisuke when he got home from Satoshi's that day, Kosuke behind her. Her eyes were wide and excited—in fact, she was so happy that she hadn't even set up any traps for her son that day. "Dai-chan! I've found it!" She seized his hands and pulled him into a hug.

"Found what?" Daisuke mumbled into her shoulder.

"The axe!"

Kosuke gently pulled her off his son. "We **think** we've found the axe," he corrected her.

She made a face. "Why do you have to be so negative?" she chided, though she was still smiling.

"How did you find it?" Daisuke asked. "I mean, I haven't found a hint of it anywhere in the books Hiwatari-kun's letting me see."

"It was in that book you brought from the library a while ago," Kosuke said.

Surprised, Daisuke frowned as he plopped down onto the couch. "I thought I lost that one. It was due weeks ago." His frown deepened. "**You** had it?"

Kosuke ran his hand through his hair somewhat nervously and grinned sheepishly. "Anyway, there was a section in the book about a piece of calligraphy done by Kukai. At the end of the chapter, it mentioned that it was owned by Kurosawa Nobu, who had an extensive collection of calligraphy and brushwork, as well as more eclectic pieces, such as baskets, pottery, seashells, and even an axe."

Daisuke's eyes widened slightly. "An axe?"

"I talked to some of my contacts," Emiko continued, "and eventually managed to get a description of Kurosawa's axe. It very closely matches the Edge of Sorrows."

"Ah. The contacts."

_Oh, it's so nice to work in a time when art thieves can compare notes over long distances,_ Dark said cheerfully. _This would have made my life **so** much easier two hundred years ago._

Daisuke ignored him. "So, this guy still has it?"

"Oh, no, he's dead," Emiko chirped as she sat down across from him.

"Uh…that's bad."

"No, that's good," she corrected him. "You see, he died a few months after going to prison when his embezzling activities were discovered, so his estate went to auction to cover his debts."

"Oh," Daisuke said, somewhat confused. "So, that's good, I guess."

Emiko shook her head. "No, that's bad. Anyone at the auction could have bought the axe, since no one knew exactly what it was."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be bad," Daisuke said knowingly.

"Actually, that's good," she cheerfully told him. "You see, since it was a public auction, the records of everything sold have been kept on file, which is why we had you go get that book of auction records from the library."

"Good, so we know who bought it."

"No. That's bad, because the axe wasn't listed in the items sold."

Daisuke had the sudden urge to bang his head against a wall, and Dark's hysterical laughter wasn't helping matters. "Mom…"

Kosuke took pity on him. "We think that the axe may still be on the estate property somewhere. It was reputably one of his favorite pieces; and since Kurosawa had a reputation of being possessive, it's entirely possible that he hid it rather than have it be taken."

"So, the axe is probably hidden somewhere on this guy's property?" Daisuke asked slowly.

"Yes," Emiko nodded.

Daisuke breathed a sigh of confusion. "But Towa said it was hidden. How are we going to be able to find it?"

"It's possible Kurosawa had some magical talent, or used the services of such a person," Kosuke said thoughtfully. "He may have recognized the magical potential of the piece and hid it appropriately. In any case, since the man was not Hikari, it's unlikely that whatever shielding he put on it would work against Dark if he was close enough."

"So as long as Dark is there on the property, he should be able to find it," Emiko concluded, standing up. "We still need to do some reconnaissance, learn some more about the man as well as his estate. It's several miles out of town, so we should learn more about the place before we rob it."

"Great," Daisuke said without much enthusiasm. "Let me guess, you want me to go the library and see what I can find."

Emiko grinned widely and hugged her son briefly. "That's my Dai-chan, such a smart boy!" She let him go and wandered back into the kitchen. "Towa-chan!" she called. "It's time to start dinner!"

Daisuke shouldered his bag and stood up. "I probably should start on my homework."

Kosuke stood up as well. "That's probably a good idea. Don't you have a job tonight?"

The redhead groaned. "Yeah, I do." He trudged towards the stairs. "Then I definitely need to go do my homework. It's a really late heist tonight. I won't be able to do anything afterwards."

"What's it tonight?" his father asked, moving towards the stairs as well.

"A small marble sculpture, the Bloom of Tranquility, or something," Daisuke said. He turned around on the stairs. "Why?"

The man shrugged. "Just curious. At least it's not too big. Marble is heavy."

"Yeah." A small smile appeared on the teen's face. "Although it would be funny to see Dark try and steal something bigger than he is. He'd probably just get it far enough to be out of the eyes of the cops, then transform into me and make me carry it the rest of the way."

Kosuke laughed, and waved as he wandered into the kitchen after Emiko.

_Hey!_ The thief sounded affronted. _Would I do that?_

_Yeah,_ Daisuke continued up the stairs. _In a heartbeat._

He could feel the thief smirk. _Damn, but you know me well._

The redhead couldn't help himself. He laughed and started his homework.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Satoshi stared at his desk blearily. Last night, Dark had led him and his men a merry chase. He had run them in circles, and the chaos had concluded with one of his lieutenants mistaking another officer for Dark and hitting the unfortunate fellow with a Taser. Dark had gotten away with the statute and Satoshi had been up until dawn with the paperwork. After he finally managed to leave the station, he had gone back to his apartment for an entire hour and a half of sleep.

The commander had drunk half a pot of coffee before coming to school in an attempt to wake himself up. It's hadn't worked. Instead, he was still tired, but now his hands were shaking slightly from the excess of caffeine.

And to top it all off, Niwa looked perfectly fine for a person who had likewise been up for most of the night.

It was not an auspicious beginning for a day that had the potential to be so extremely important.

The entire morning passed in a haze, although Satoshi dutifully took his usual thorough notes. As soon as the lunch bell rang, however, he headed for the roof. The commander pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the number he had found in the phone book that morning.

"Yamamoto Tailoring," a pleasant voice answered.

XXXXX

Daisuke bounced up the stairs to the roof. He'd been eating lunch with the twins and Saehara, but he'd excused himself to talk to Hiwatari.

He pushed open the door to the roof just in time to see Satoshi lower his cell phone and turn it off.

_Huh. I wonder who he was talking to_, Dark said with lazy curiosity.

_Who knows?_ Daisuke shrugged.

_I didn't know he talked to people other than you._

_Dark, he works on the police force. I'm sure he talks to people other than me all the time._

Dark considered this. _You're right. He wasn't talking to you, so he must have been talking about me._

Daisuke rolled his eyes. _Not everything in the world is about you._

_It should be_, the thief said cheerfully.

Satoshi approached him. "Yes, Niwa? What do you need?"

The redhead smiled. "I just wanted to talk to you for a little bit."

The teen stared blandly at him. "Why?"

_See, this is why no one talks to him._

Daisuke sighed. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be late this afternoon. I have some errands I have to run first. Sorry."

"Actually, that works out well," Satoshi said, unexpectedly. "I can't research today. I have an appointment after school, and I don't know how long it will take."

"Oh," Daisuke said in concern. "Are you sick?"

For some reason, the commander looked surprised. "No, why?"

"Well," the redhead began, "You said you had an appointment, and I just assumed it was with a doctor." He looked over Satoshi appraisingly. "To be perfectly honest, Hiwatari-kun, you look awful."

The older teen gave him a wry look. "Thank you, Niwa."

"Seriously, are you okay?" Daisuke asked worriedly. "Was it…Krad?"

"No," the commander said with an impatient sigh. "Just very little sleep, that's all. Chasing Dark all night is not exceedingly conducive for getting the recommended eight hours."

"Sorry," Daisuke said, flushing slightly.

Satoshi looked at him oddly. "It's not your fault, Niwa."

"Yeah," the redhead sighed. He brightened and attempted to change the subject. "So what's your appointment about, then?"

"Research," the commander said neutrally.

Daisuke recognized a warning when he heard one and dropped it. "Cool. I guess I'll see you later, then, okay?"

Satoshi nodded and returned to his spot.

_Why'd you back off?_ Dark asked, confused. _I mean, 'research' could mean anything. It could have been important._

_Hiwatari-kun didn't want to talk about it_, he said as he walked towards the stairwell. _I'm not going to push it._

Dark sighed deeply, but didn't say anything

Waving back at the seated teen, Daisuke bounced back down the stairs to Riku-san and his other friends.

XXXXX

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Yamamoto-sama," Satoshi said as he stepped over the threshold of the small tailor's shop.

"Not at all," the old woman said cheerfully. "It's rare enough to find a teenager interested in the old days." She led the way past the sales room and through a small storeroom into the part of the building where she obviously lived. Yamamoto motioned the teen to a faded sofa and sank into a threadbare armchair. "You said on the phone that you were trying to solve a mystery. How can I help?"

"You were a seamstress here forty years ago, correct?" Satoshi asked, sitting down carefully.

"Yes," Yamamoto acknowledged. "In this very building. I made dresses for most of the well-to-do women in town."

"Costumes as well?"

The woman nodded.

"Have you kept records of sales from back then?" Satoshi pulled out a blown-up copy of the newspaper photo of the mysterious woman. "Would you be able to find out if you made the costume for this woman, and who ordered it?"

The old woman took the picture and studied it carefully. She shook her head. "No, I got rid of all those old records when I switched all of my bookkeeping to computer."

Satoshi's heart sank. Tracing the woman through her costume has been his last lead. A dead end to all those weeks of research. Concealing his disappointment, he stood. "Thank you for your time," he began.

"Where are you going?" Yamamoto demanded. "I don't have the records, but I don't need them, I still remember the dress."

Hope flared on the commander's face before he could control it. "Who ordered the dress?"

The woman looked at him appraisingly. "Why do you want to know?"

Satoshi was silent for a moment. He considered telling her that it was a police investigation and that she, as a civilian, was required to cooperate. But Satoshi had been trained from birth to notice detail. Moreover, he was a Hikari with an artist's eye. And when he looked at the old woman's frail form, he saw the steel beneath.

Strong-arm police tactics would not work on her. "I can't tell you…but I'm worried about a…friend. I need to know," he said simply.

Eyes that had lost none of their cunning or intelligence stared back at him coolly for a moment, and then softened. "You look like you have a good soul." She nodded once decisively. "Her name was Kobayashi Rika. She and her mother were some of my best customers. They were here at least once a month."

"Thank you," Satoshi said sincerely.

She waved the thanks away and studied the picture again, lost in reflection. "The style that winter was for big and elaborate, lots of ruffles and layers. Rika went to the other end of the spectrum and chose a costume that was simple and flowing. It allowed her beauty and grace to shine through unhindered." Yamamoto looked up at Satoshi and smiled. "It's a shame that you can't see her face; Rika-san was a true beauty." She paused. "Would you like to see a picture of her?"

"Very much," Satoshi said as he stood up.

The old woman started to struggle her way out of the deep chair. He courteously offered the woman a hand up, and she smiled at him. "Rika-san was a good friend of my daughter," Yamamoto said as she led the way to a closed door further down the hall. "They were almost the same age. My Kasumi was a year or so younger, but they played together as children. They remained close when they were grown. In fact, Kasumi was the nanny to Rika-san's daughter for a few years. But then Kasumi died, and Rika-san did not come here anymore."

She pushed the door open. The room was clearly old-fashioned, and just as clearly belonged to a young woman. Although a few storage boxes rested here and there, for the most part the room must have been exactly as the girl had left it.

Yamamoto sighed. "I keep meaning to come in and clean this room out, but I can never make myself do it. Kasumi was my only child."

"I'm…sorry?" Satoshi offered, feeling awkward. The majority of his research experience thus far had been studying old books. He didn't have much experience in interviewing people. That was something detectives did. Not special commanders.

She smiled. "You're sweet for listening to an old woman babble." She walked over and picked up a framed photo. "This is Rika-san and Kasumi when they were about sixteen."

Satoshi picked up the offered photo, looked at the two girls, and promptly almost dropped it. Kobayashi Rika bore a distinct resemblance to Harada Risa.

That was a complication he had not considered.

The bell over the front door of the shop chimed faintly, and the woman turned. "I must have a customer." She looked back at Satoshi and smiled apologetically. "Do you mind?"

Satoshi shook his head and took a step towards the hall.

"Oh, feel free to look around. Maybe you can find something that would help your friend," she said, motioning him to stay. "Just…be careful."

"Of course," Satoshi said with a slight bow.

And with that, Yamamoto left. Mentally shrugging, Satoshi moved along the perimeter of the room. The normal accessories were there: bed, desk, and bookshelf. There were several framed photographs of Kasumi through the room, often in the presence of Rika. Satoshi passed by the bookshelf, and casually scanned the titles. There was an outdated assortment of romance novels and thrillers, along with a surprising number of history texts, many of which Satoshi recognized from his own research. As he looked over the books, a glint caught his eye. One of the hardbacks at the very end of the bottom shelf was unlabeled, and a gold chain appeared to mark a page. He picked it up out of curiosity and riffled through it. The gold chain was attached to a locket, and the book appeared to be a journal. Satoshi was about to close it when the words 'Rika's mysterious stranger' in the entry caught his eye.

With a slight guilty glance towards the open door, Satoshi opened the journal. And once he began to read, he could not stop.

As he finished the last entry, a sickening suspicion was beginning to arise in his mind. Satoshi pulled a small camera from his pocket and photographed the relevant entries. He had just put the journal back in its place on the shelf and slipped the contents of the locket away into his pocket with the camera when he heard Yamamoto's footsteps.

"Thank you very much for your assistance," he said formally, bowing slightly.

"Are you finished already?" she asked, nonplussed.

"Yes, thank you." Satoshi moved toward the door.

"Did you find anything?" the woman asked, falling in beside him as he walked.

Satoshi's heart twisted. "Perhaps."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_Why are we here again?_ Dark complained. _Hiwatari told us he was too busy to research with you about Freedert for the next couple days, and there's no play practice today, so we actually have a free afternoon! Why can't we take a day off from the boring research-stuff?!_

Daisuke sighed. _Because Mom thinks that she found out where the axe is hidden and we're supposed to go steal it tomorrow. We're supposed to pick up a book about the place and a map, if we can find one. Besides, _Daisuke added as he pulled the door to the library open, _I have to return the art book that Dad had kept. _He nodded to the cheerful library aide and ducked away from the piercing gaze of the librarian. Passing quickly through the check-out area, he dropped the art book in the bin and headed towards the local history section.

_Hey, stop,_ Dark said suddenly.

_What?_ Daisuke asked, coming to an abrupt halt.

_It's the creepy bastard!_ Dark said with wicked glee. Sure enough, Hiwatari could be seen bent over a large book, turning the pages and studying them intently. _He's so focused right now we could steal the entire contents of the library around him and he wouldn't notice. _

_Probably_, Daisuke agreed.

_So can we? Please?_

_No, of course not_, the redhead said reprovingly.

_Well, can we at least take his bag, then?_ Dark whined.

_**No**!_

_You're getting so boring, Daisuke,_ the thief said with a slight sulk.

Daisuke rolled his eyes and walked up to the commander. "Good afternoon, Hiwatari-kun."

The other boy turned around quickly, eyes widening for just an instant when he recognized who it was. "Niwa."

"What are you working on?" Daisuke smiled.

Satoshi hurriedly closed the book. "Just something for school." He picked up his bag and started towards the exit. "I'll see you later, Niwa."

Daisuke frowned, staring after the retreating commander. _That was weird._

_He's always weird,_ Dark said dismissively.

_Did you notice that he wouldn't meet my eyes? _Daisuke said with a frown.

_Hmm, _Dark sounded thoughtful. _What was he reading?_

Daisuke stepped forward to look at the title. _Marriage records, dating from the 1960's through the 1980's. _

_Yeah. Weird._

Daisuke shrugged. _As long as he wasn't looking up new and innovative ways to capture art thieves, I don't really care. It doesn't have anything to do with us. _

XXXXX

A small lamp cast a pool of light over Hiwatari Kei's desk, the only illumination in his night-dark office. The man was combing through the last month's police reports, and the conclusions they brought were heartily unwelcome. Crime was on a definite rise, even when one excluded the efforts of a not-quite-human art thief.

Hiwatari set the papers aside and leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands. He would have to present the yearly police activity review at the end of December, and if these trends continued, his report would be full of unsolved cases and criminals that still walked free.

Dark's heavily publicized heists had convinced the rest of the criminal population that the police were not a force to be concerned about, and this was unacceptable.

Dark had to be captured, for the sake of the city.

At any cost.

The sudden shrill ring of the phone startled Hiwatari out of his thoughts. He picked it up, curious as to who would be calling at this ungodly hour of the morning. "Hello?"

"Hiwatari Kei," a cool voice stated. "I have a suggestion."

"About what?" Hiwatari asked tiredly, leaning back in his chair.

"I know how to catch Dark."

The man's grip tightened on the receiver. "You have my attention."

XXXXX

"See you tomorrow!" Riku waved to the other girls on the team and ran towards the school. Niwa-kun would still be in play practice, and if she hurried, she might get to see the last bit of it. As she jogged towards the auditorium, she could hear Saehara bellowing. Riku walked in and stopped dead.

Saehara was looking very aggravated. "Come on, guys, it's a love story. You two are **lovers**! You can't stand **one meter away** from each other to say your lines!"

The two lead characters, who were indeed almost ludicrously distant, scowled. They each reluctantly moved about half a step closer, then began reading their lines again, carefully avoiding looking at each other.

"Arrgh! What is with you two?!" Saehara stomped in frustration.

"Maybe they had a fight or something," a soft whisper came from behind Riku. She looked behind her to see Risa standing just to her right.

"I hope so," Riku said without thinking.

Risa shot her a curious look, and Riku flushed slightly and pointedly turned her attention back to the stage.

Daisuke spotted her standing out in the audience and gave her a small smile and a wave before turning his attention back to Saehara and his yelled directions.

Finally, the director threw up his hands in the air and stomped offstage. Taking that as a dismissal, Niwa-kun said something briefly to Hiwatari-kun and hopped down from the stage, wiping off his makeup as he went.

"Hey, Riku-san!" he said cheerfully as he strode towards her. "How was practice?"

"Pretty good," she smiled. "Yours?"

Niwa-kun's smile abruptly disappeared, and he shuddered slightly.

"That bad?" Riku asked sympathetically.

"Saehara has this **image** in his head," Daisuke tried to explain, "And if we don't match it exactly, he gets frustrated."

Riku shrugged. "At least it's over for today."

"Yeah," the redhead agreed, tossing his wig and dress to the costume girls.

"So, since we're both done, do you want to do something with me tonight?" Riku asked hopefully as the two of them walked out of the school together. "I thought we could go get something to eat. My treat!" she added.

Daisuke sighed. "I'd love to, Riku-san, but—"

"Don't tell me," Riku interrupted, eyes narrowing. "You're doing something with Hiwatari-kun."

He stared at her. "No, actually. I have to run some errands for my mom."

"Oh," she said, feeling somehow reassured…and somewhat silly. "Okay. Well, do you want me to come along and keep you company?"

It could have been her imagination, but she could've sworn that Niwa-kun actually paled slightly. "Oh, no, Riku-san, that's all right."

She frowned. "I don't mind, Niwa-kun. I just want to do **something** with you. We haven't really done anything together for weeks."

Daisuke sighed. "I know that, and I'm sorry. It's just been a really bad time for me right now with the play and everything."

Riku dropped her gaze to the ground. "I…I miss you, Niwa-kun," she admitted in a whisper.

"I miss you too," Daisuke smiled gently, taking her hand. "I can't get out of this thing tonight, but maybe we can do something together next week, after the play ends, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled back at him. "It's a promise."

He grinned, then dropped her hand and started toward his house. "I'll see you tomorrow, Riku-san!" he called, waving.

She waved back until he was out of sight, and then let her arm drop heavily to her side. Riku turned on her heel and started jogging home.

"Riku!"

She paused at hearing her name and looked around. Risa was about six meters behind her, waving wildly as she tried to catch up.

"You run too fast," her twin said accusingly, stopping next to her and panting slightly.

Riku shrugged. "Maybe you're just out of shape."

Risa's eyes narrowed. "What is **that** supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," the other twin sighed, starting toward home again, walking this time.

Although Risa still looked annoyed, she let the matter drop and fell into step next to her. "I wasn't really expecting to see you," she began. "I figured that you'd be doing something with Niwa-kun."

"Well, we're not," Riku said dully.

Risa peered closely at her twin. "Did you and Niwa-kun have a fight or something?"

"No," Riku protested quickly. "We're fine. Everything's fine."

A disbelieving look crossed her twin's face. "Right."

Riku looked away as they approached the Harada mansion. "Look, it's nothing. Okay?"

There was a soft touch on her shoulder, and Riku looked back at her sister, who was standing there with a look of great concern. "Riku, I know we haven't been as close lately, and that's probably my fault. I was pretty obsessed with Dark-san for a while. But," she looked deep into her sister's eyes, "We're twins, Riku. I know something's wrong, and I just want you to know that you can tell me."

And to her embarrassment, tears started to burn in Riku's eyes. She quickly looked away, but not before Risa saw them.

Her twin's face set in determination, and she pulled Riku inside.

"Good afternoon, girls! Dinner will be ready in half an hour!" Tsubouchi, the butler, called.

"Thank you!" Risa yelled back, keeping a firm grip on her twin. She pulled Riku up the stairs to Riku's room and closed the door behind the two of them. "Okay, out with it."

Riku sat down on the bed and shook her head.

Risa folded her arms and looked stern. "Does this have something to do with Niwa-kun and Hiwatari-kun?"

The short-haired twin jumped slightly. "What gave you that idea?"

"Come on, Riku," Risa rolled her eyes. "You were watching them like a hawk during practice. And your little comment was a dead giveaway."

Riku sighed deeply. "It's stupid."

Risa sat down next to her. "What is?"

"I…I'm feeling a little nervous about Niwa-kun," Riku mumbled, flushing.

Her twin nodded knowingly. "He's been kind of distant lately, hasn't he?"

"He doesn't spend any time with us anymore!" Riku said sharply. "He eats lunch with us, but he spends all his time after school with Hiwatari-kun. I mean, he's always been busy, but I never see him anymore. What does he **do** with Hiwatari-kun, anyway?!" Her rant abruptly stopped as she realized what she had said, and she looked down at her hands. "I mean…"

"Riku," Risa smiled gently. "I don't think you have to worry about **that**."

The older twin flushed slightly. "That's not what I meant," she denied vehemently.

"Then what did you mean?" Risa asked curiously.

"N—never mind." Riku folded her arms and sighed.

"Well, have you tried talking to Niwa-kun about this?" Risa continued.

"Kind of. He just keeps telling me to wait, that he's really busy right now."

"Well, he is," Risa pointed out. "Saehara's working everyone really hard since the play's next week."

"You still have free time, and you're in the play!"

"I'm not the main character," Risa said meaningfully.

"Yeah, I guess," Riku sighed.

"Trust me, Riku, Niwa-kun still likes you." Risa leaned over and hugged her sister. "I know these things," she said wisely. "Just do as he asks. Give him some time. I'm sure everything will straighten itself out after the play's over."

Riku hugged her back. "Thanks, Risa."

Her twin smiled broadly. "What are sisters for?" She stood up and sauntered toward the door. "Dinner should be ready soon. See you then."

The door shut softly behind Risa, and Riku flopped over sideways onto the bed. Risa was right. She was overreacting. There was nothing to worry about.

But somehow, Riku still felt restless. She flipped over on her bed and punched the pillow with her fist, trying to get comfortable.

Of course Niwa-kun still liked her.

Of course he did.


	14. Chapter 13

ASN: Sorry I'm late. Snow is a four-letter word.

AN: As is 'cold.' But getting back to the story. You know, this is the first time I noticed that this chapter was chapter **13**.

ASN: Appropriate.

AN: Isn't it?

**Chapter 13**

_You know, maybe we should have let Riku come,_ Dark said sourly. _We may never find the place. At least the night wouldn't have been a total loss._

_Very funny_, Daisuke said. _I'm sure Riku-san would have loved to tramp through scratchy underbrush around ancient ruins with us._

_Hey, ancient ruins are romantic. _

Daisuke was unamused. _She probably wouldn't want to walk around anywhere with **you**, anyway._

Dark mock-winced. _Gee, Daisuke, way to hurt a guy. You're right, though. This wouldn't have worked as a date spot. Ancient moonlit ruins are romantic. Moldy falling-down houses are not. _The thief paused. _Finally, we're here. _

_Are you sure this is the right place? _Daisuke asked curiously. _Most everything else we've stolen was a little more accessible. _

_This is the right place,_ Dark assured him. _Everything we managed to find mentioned the last known location of the axe as being here. _

'Here' was an old, deserted, ruin of a mansion and the surrounding garden. The place had a tall, stone wall enclosing the area, with an even taller iron gate. It was large, with many statues and outbuildings—in which an axe could be hidden fairly well. Never mind the fact it could be buried just about anywhere.

Luckily, Dark had a few extra tricks up his sleeve. Finding the axe would be no problem.

Getting inside, on the other hand…

_It's booby-trapped,_ he announced sourly to Daisuke. _Somebody has gone through and put a whole slew of protections here. _

_Magical?_

_I don't think so. _Dark pointed to the thin trip wire he had glimpsed, set right inside the gate. _Looks like simple things…but I don't know who did it. _

_What do you mean?_ Daisuke asked, confused. _The police—_

_No one knows we're here, since With is doing his imitation of me and flying around Azumano looking handsome and mysterious. This is a secret operation that we didn't want anyone knowing about,_ Dark said as he examined the wire through the slots in the gate. _The axe is very powerful, very important, and we didn't want to worry about police getting in the way. And I personally don't want the Honorable Commander Hiwatari knowing that we have it,_ he added.

_Why not?_

_It's always better to have a secret or two. _Dark stepped back, smirking slightly. _This looks fairly old; probably set by someone from a while back—at least a generation or two. That means we managed to get this far without alerting anyone to our plan. _

_Can we keep it that way? _Daisuke asked nervously as Dark readied himself to leap over the gate.

_No problem, Daisuke. It's **me**. _

Dark nimbly jumped up, ready to hop the gate and land on the nearest statue, since it was possible the entire ground surface was trapped. He abruptly realized that over was not necessarily better when he saw the very air above the garden crackle with energy.

_Well, that's cute. _Dark redirected his leap, coming to a precarious landing on top of the gate with a scowl. _This Kurosawa guy must have somehow got somebody to add magical protections, too—I can't go over; it would shred me into bite-sized Dark bits on the way down. _

Daisuke made a face. _Ew. _

_Tell me about it._ Dark jumped back down. _I'm just going to have to sneak through. _

He bent to the lock on the gate, and second later it fell open in his hand. With a smirk, he tossed it aside. Really, some things were just unnecessary.

The gate creaked open, slowly, and he caught the door right before it hit the trip wire. Then, delicately, he stepped inside. Each place he stepped was examined carefully, looking for wires, loose soil, and anything else that could result in pain, injury, or damage to his clothing.

_Where do you think it is?_ Daisuke asked. _This place is really creepy; let's not take too long. _

_Oh, come on, it's the perfect place for a date. Remember, ancient ruins?_ Dark responded sarcastically. _Anyway, the axe is that way. _

He pointed down a path that twisted and turned its way out of sight.

_You realize that there could be some wild animal with very sharp teeth or something equally hungry waiting for us that way and we wouldn't know until it was too late?_

Dark shrugged. _Makes life interesting. _

He headed down the path, knocking a low-hanging tree branch out of his way. It rustled. Then there was a very faint squeak.

Like a trap springing.

_Oh, no. _

Dark looked up in time to see a gigantic rope net falling from the tree, weighted to keep its prey captive. He dived out of the way, still managing to get his foot tangled in it.

For one of the few times in his existence, Dark was glad no one was around to see him in the midst of a heist. He looked ever the fool, sitting on the ground cursing as he tried to get his foot out of a mass of rope.

_Dark—faster, please! _

Unnerved by Daisuke's panicked tone, Dark glanced up again.

The monument right next to him was a large, once-white marble piece with an intricately carved soldier standing on top. This stone soldier was beginning to topple…straight for Dark's skull.

And, to add interest, it was holding a large and impressively sharp axe.

_Shit! _

The phantom thief didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, dragging the net with him. The soldier landed with a large crash, shattering, and the axe chopped neatly through the rope.

Dark stood up in triumph, shaking the excess rope pieces off casually. _Ha, ha! That's what happens when you mess with the phantom thief Dark!_

_Um,_ Daisuke interrupted, _that wasn't the axe we needed, was it?_

The thief paused thoughtfully for a moment, and then kicked one of the many broken pieces on the ground. _I hope not._

_Right…_

Dark concentrated. _Nope,_ he said cheerfully. _I can still feel it this way. _

_How are you tracking it?_

_Hikari artwork is magical…and Hikari magic has a distinctive—flavor, if you will. _

Daisuke rolled his eyes. _The great Dark Mousy…phantom thief extraordinaire and gourmet magic connoisseur._

_And don't you forget it,_ Dark said flippantly, taking another step forward.

Something creaked.

_SHIT!_

Dark darted forward, hoping to escape whatever was going to fall this time. However, whoever had set up the trap had apparently anticipated this, since a rope net fell squarely on Dark's head.

_What the--?! _Dark thrashed his way out of the net, fuming. _Why the hell did they put the net all the way up **here** when I set it off all the way back **there**?!_

_You must be getting predictable,_ Daisuke said calmly.

_I'm not predictable,_ Dark grumbled. _It was a lucky guess. _

Now obsessively watching every step he took, Dark slowly inched his way toward the magical presence he sensed. Soon, he came to another, smaller gate that seemed to separate the grounds of the ruin from a smaller decorative garden. This gate was looped with three or four sets of chains…and seemed to be welded shut.

_Wow, _Daisuke commented. _He was serious about protecting this one, wasn't he?_

Dark's eyes lit up. _It must be good. _He inspected the gate carefully, and soon came to the conclusion that the welding job had been a thorough one. He frowned.

_Can we get in?_

_Of course we can get in,_ Dark said shortly. _We just can't go over or through. _He knelt and started to study the ground underneath the fence. It was loosely packed and fairly dry. Ideal.

He pulled a small garden spade from one of his various pockets.

_Since when did we start carrying a spade? _Daisuke askedincredulously.

_It's a handy little tool,_ Dark said flippantly as he started to dig. _You can dig with it, you can cut camera surveillance lines with it, and you can even clunk nosy police commanders on the head with it. _

_Right…why didn't I think of that? _

Dark sighed. _Come on, Daisuke. It's an outside job and we're looking for a lost and potentially buried axe. Of course I brought something to dig with. _

_Is this really going to work? _Daisuke asked him.

_Maybe,_ Dark replied as he started to clear a space away from under the fence.

_Are you going to dig into a trap that's potentially set there?_

_Maybe. _

Daisuke sounded nervous. _We're going to die, aren't we?_

Dark grinned widely as he continued to dig. _Everybody dies, Daisuke. The only difference is how much fun you have getting there. _

_You're not very reassuring. _

Dark shrugged. By now, he had enough dirt cleared away that he could probably wiggle his way under. Bidding a silent, wistful goodbye to the outfit Emiko had picked out so carefully, Dark crawled into the hole and began to work his way under the fence.

He pulled himself out on the other side, proud of his ability to improvise. _No power in the universe can stop me!_ he crowed, taking a triumphant step forward.

And promptly jumped back as pain knifed through his foot. "Owowowow!" He leaned against the fence and inspected the bottom of his boot. A dark, dull, triangular spiked piece of metal protruded from the sole.

_What is that?_

_It's a caltrop,_ Dark said sourly, pulling it out. _In the old days, defending armies would spread these out in front of their castle, and their enemies would step on them and lame themselves and their horses._

_Ow,_ Daisuke said sympathetically. _So what are they doing here?_

_Defending from invaders, apparently._

_Oh._ Daisuke frowned in concern. _So how do we get past them?_

_Very carefully._

And with that, the phantom thief slowly and cautiously picked his way through the field of caltrops towards the source of the magic.

It was an old stone well filled with murky and distinctively foul-smelling water.

_Aw, you've gotta be kidding, _Dark said wearily as he took off his jacket and reached into one of his many pockets for a re-breather and a small face mask. _I hate the underwater ones._

_Um, Dark, _Daisuke said uneasily, _Do you see the sign?_

Partially hidden by the undergrowth was an equally old sign saying "Caution-Contaminated Water."

Dark grinned slightly. _That's just a decoy._

_How do you know?_ The redhead was not reassured.

_Come on, Daisuke. This guy wouldn't have dropped his favorite piece of art down a contaminated well. He wouldn't have any way to get it back without getting sick himself. Besides, _Dark said as he pulled out a dive light out of yet another mysteriously capacious pocket and flicked it on. _If the water really was contaminated, why would he warn us? It's just a diversion, an empty threat to make us look somewhere else._

_If you say so…_

Dark put the re-breather into his mouth and made sure it worked. _No human is making me back out of a job with stupid mind games. _He jumped in.

The water was ice cold and smelled horrible. The visibility was so low that Dark could barely see in his hand in front of him, even with the help of the light. He was going to have to find the damn axe by feel and hope to hell he didn't cut his hand off in the process.

_The water is a really weird color,_ Daisuke commented apprehensively.

_It's okay, we're almost there,_ Dark said absentmindedly. He could feel the bottom of the well underneath his boots, and he started to cautiously pat the surface. _Aha! _His fingers brushed a long wooden shaft that…his fingers ran up the length. Yes, it did indeed connect to an axe head. _Got it._

He grabbed the axe and pushed towards the surface. He emerged from the well and took a huge gasp of fresh air.

_Ugh, you're covered in muck_, Daisuke observed, clearly disgusted.

Dark was unconcerned. _Yeah, but at least we got the axe!_ He grinned and held up the artwork triumphantly…and suddenly frowned.

_What is it?_

_It doesn't feel right_, Dark said slowly.

_What?_

_I mean, it looks like the axe in the picture, but it doesn't feel like the axe. It's supposed to be one of the most powerful Hikari works ever, but it only has a little bit of magic. Just enough to sense, in fact…_ The phantom thief inspected the artwork more closely, and noticed a strange flaw at the end of the handle.

_It almost looks like it **unscrews**…_Daisuke said in confusion.

With misgiving steadily growing, Dark unscrewed the bottom of the handle. A hollow space was revealed, and a note wrapped in plastic could be seen.

_Oh, no. No, no, no…_ Dark reached in and pulled out the note, unrolling it from its protective plastic covering and smoothing it out.

"By now I'm sure you've realized that the axe you're holding is not the Hikari original. More importantly, the septic system of the ruined mansion did not age well, and has probably contaminated the surrounding watershed. I highly recommend you seek medical attention immediately."

Dark dropped the note in shock. He belatedly realized what was in the muck covering him and immediately began brushing it off in furious horror.

Daisuke moaned.

_It's a fake. _Dark was actually quivering with rage. _I made my way through an obscene number of traps, dug under a fence, impaled my foot on an ancient battle-tool, and jumped into a well contaminated with god-knows-what to retrieve a Hikari FAKE!_

_I don't feel good,_ came a soft whimper from his redheaded host.

Dark frowned. _We'll get out of here as soon as possible._ He looked at the field of spiked caltrops, the tiny hole under the fence, and then the mansion grounds filled with booby traps. _But it might take a while. _

He started to carefully pick his way back towards the fence, and Dark could feel a sweat coming on that had nothing to do with nervousness.

_We should probably see a doctor as soon as we get back_, he admitted.

Daisuke moaned again.

And as Dark slipped and stepped on another caltrop, he silently swore that someone would pay for this.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Satoshi knew it was going to be a bad day as soon as he walked out his front door and saw the car waiting for him. For one brief moment, he considered turning quickly and walking to school the other way. However, the chauffeur spotted him and opened the car door for him without speaking a word. Satoshi had no choice but to sigh silently and slide into the car. He supposed he could have simply ignored the man and walked to school anyway, but the potential consequences of such an act greatly outweighed the immediate benefits.

The ride to police headquarters passed in silence. The chauffeur—Satoshi didn't remember his name—made no effort to engage him in conversation, and it was unlikely Satoshi would have answered anyway.

Satoshi entered the building, heading straight for the police commissioner's office. He heard greetings from some of the officers he knew vaguely, and he nodded to them as he continued walking.

"Yes, sir?" he asked coolly as he pushed open the door of his father's office.

"Good morning, Satoshi," Hiwatari said cheerfully. "How are you?"

Satoshi sighed inwardly. He hated small talk. And his father knew this. "Fine, although I'm going to be late for school."

"I won't keep you long," Hiwatari continued to smile as he pulled out some glossies and spread them on his desk. "I just wanted to show you some very interesting pictures we got last night."

Satoshi's brow furrowed as he pulled one closer. Dark was leaning against an old iron gate, balancing on one foot and looking mad enough to spit nails. The rest of the pictures showed Dark in similarly inelegant poses elsewhere in the same general meadow area.

The commander instantly recognized the scenery, and his heart skipped a beat. However, he managed to keep his face composed as he looked back up at his father. "Interesting."

"Aren't they?" Commissioner Hiwatari said cheerfully. "You know, there's been talk about the station sponsoring a photography contest for the fundraiser this year." He riffled the stack of pictures.

Satoshi gazed at him impassively.

"Who knows? These could be the winners. They're entertaining, to say the least," Hiwatari acknowledged. His smile faded. "But no announcement was sent out for this theft." He studied the impassive teenager before him. "Makes you wonder what was out there that was worth stealing."

Using all of his powers of control, Satoshi did not alter his deadpan expression, but rather changed the subject. "What I find curious is the fact that you have these pictures."

"Ah, well," the man said, reshuffling the pictures into a stack. "When someone appropriates a half-dozen motion activated button cameras from inventory, I find myself curious as to what they were hoping to watch. Wireless feeds are extraordinarily easy to tap into, as I'm sure you know."

Satoshi's eyes narrowed. He did indeed know. That's why he'd had the wireless feed encoded and secured. "Father…you agreed you would not interfere in my investigation."

"And I haven't," Hiwatari said, unperturbed. "I merely observe your efforts." His expression changed to something colder and harder. "And your efforts appear to be failing."

"I'm working on a new line of research," Satoshi said simply.

Hiwatari sighed. "I've given you a lot of freedom to work, Satoshi, but I need results," he said. "I have colleagues who are beginning to talk. They've mentioned wanting to bring in a specialist."

"I am sorry, father," Satoshi said woodenly.

The man did not look pacified. "I know you enjoy playing with the thief," he said, waving a hand toward the set of pictures. "But enough is enough. It's time to get serious."

"Yes, father."

"Or I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

Satoshi's eyes flashed. "That would be unwise." Hiwatari stared at him, unsmiling. "Sir."

Hiwatari glanced at the clock. "We'll continue this conversation another time. After all, we wouldn't want you to be late."

"Sir." Satoshi turned and walked out before his father could get up. He just didn't think he could endure the man's paternal embrace today.

_The man is slime._

Satoshi ignored his curse and slid back into the waiting car.

_He is truly delusional if he thinks he and his fellow humans can catch Dark Mousy._

Although Satoshi silently agreed with him, he said nothing. If there was anything Satoshi did not want to do, it was encourage Krad.

_It was amusing to see Dark hopping on one foot, though,_ the curse mused. _What was he after?_

Satoshi didn't answer, and eventually Krad stopped talking. The commander did not actually sigh in relief, but it was close.

He walked into his classroom and paused. Saehara was jumping up and down angrily, the reason for which was obvious. Niwa's desk was empty.

Apparently the main character was out sick.

Satoshi couldn't really say he was surprised.

"Oh, there you are, Hiwatari-san!" He turned to see the teacher waving at him. "Niwa is home sick today. Would you mind taking him his homework after school? Saehara-san said he'd have the understudy fill in for you. "

Now, if Satoshi chose to follow his father's advice, this would be the perfect time to begin. Refuse and another student would take the homework to Niwa; it would not be a problem. And Satoshi could spend that hour of his time researching, rather than wasting it conversing with his quarry.

He could refuse.

He should refuse.

On the other hand…

XXXXX

"What are you doing here?" Niwa Emiko demanded at finding a despised Hikari on her doorstep.

"The teacher asked me to bring by the day's notes and homework for Niwa since he's sick," Satoshi said mildly.

"Thank you, Hiwatari-san," Emiko managed to say, though it looked like it pained her. "If you'll give those to me, I'll take them to him." She reached out to take the folder from the teen.

Satoshi kept firm hold of the papers. "If you don't mind, I'd like to see him for a moment."

Emiko glared at him, but then was gently nudged aside by Niwa's smiling father. "What's wrong? Ah, you must be here to see Daisuke. He's upstairs, go right up," he said cheerfully.

The teen nodded gratefully and headed upstairs.

"Kosuke!" Emiko hissed as the two watched the retreating Hikari.

"Let him be, Emiko-san, he's just a boy," Kosuke sighed for the thousandth time.

"He's a Hikari!" she snapped. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had something to do with the fake."

"Perhaps," Kosuke mused, "but I don't think he would deliberately try to harm Daisuke."

"I sincerely hope you're right," Emiko muttered as she stormed into the kitchen.

XXXXX

Daisuke was lying down on his sofa, wrapped in a blanket and feeling utterly wretched when he heard the soft tread on the stairs.

"Niwa?" a familiar voice called.

"Come in," the redhead called, struggling to sit up.

Satoshi walked in and paused in the doorway, staring at him.

"Hi, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke offered weakly.

"I brought your homework," Satoshi stated. "And Saehara sent a revised copy of the script." He raised an eyebrow. "I think this makes his seventh revision."

"Great," Daisuke moaned. "I knew something was missing to make this horrible day complete."

Satoshi moved forward until he was standing in front of the sofa. "What happened?"

"I thought it was just the flu, but the doctor said it was giar-something," Daisuke said miserably.

"Giardiasis?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "It's a diarrheal disease caused by parasites." He stopped and studied the redhead with interest. "Where did you go to end up getting that? That generally only happens if you've been playing in contaminated water…or a sewer."

Daisuke turned a faint greenish tint and swallowed convulsively.

Satoshi shrugged. "I hope it was worth it."

_Why doesn't he stop gloating and go stalk some other thieves or something_? Dark growled. And then he paused as a horrible suspicion dawned. _It would have taken a Hikari to make that fake…_

Daisuke raised his head and stared blearily at the commander. "Hiwatari-kun…"

Satoshi sighed. "Do you really think my family would have let Kurosawa keep the axe if it was genuine?"

"So who was responsible for all the traps? You or Kurosawa?" Daisuke croaked.

The commander considered that for a moment. "About half and half, I'd say. Some of his were too old to function properly." He paused and gazed down at the redhead. "I'm sorry you're sick, Niwa, but in all fairness, I did warn you."

_The sign…That creepy bastard planted it there on purpose!_ Dark howled.

"Dark kinda ignored the sign," Daisuke whispered, sitting up with effort.

"Yes, I thought he might. It probably even encouraged him, didn't it?" Satoshi asked with a faint hint of a smile.

Dark snarled something unintelligible, which was probably a good thing since Daisuke doubted it was very complimentary.

"Niwa, your curse is getting rather predictable," Satoshi finished, a satisfied look on his face from having outwitted the phantom thief.

_I'll show him predictable! **I'll rip out his throat**!_

Daisuke couldn't help it. He started laughing, but abruptly stopped as the movement caused his stomach to cramp up again. He flopped back onto the sofa with a moan.

"Niwa?" Satoshi walked over to him in apparent concern. "You weren't supposed to get this sick," the older teen said under his breath, studying him clinically.

_He'll pay for this!_ Dark howled from within Daisuke's mind.

Almost as if he had been able to hear Dark's threat, Satoshi backed up. He sat the homework down on Daisuke's desk next to his collection of family photographs, and paused. "Is that your mother?" he said in an oddly strained voice.

_Don't try and change the subject, you bastard!_

"Yeah, that's her when she was in elementary school," Daisuke said in a voice almost as strained as he fought to keep Dark from emerging and strangling the commander. "Why?"

Satoshi shook his head. "Is it okay if I use your bathroom before I leave?"

"Yeah," Daisuke choked out. "It's downstairs past the kitchen next to Jii-chan's room."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow at school, Niwa."

_Yeah, you better run!_ Dark snarled as the commander walked down the stairs.

_Dark…shut up and let me sleep._

XXXXX

The next day, Satoshi entered the police headquarters before he went to school. That in and of itself was unusual, since he did not generally come to work before school unless summoned by Hiwatari. Even more unusually, Satoshi did not turn right to go to the general department offices, but rather turned left. He climbed a flight of stairs to the forensics department and pushed open the door to one of the labs.

"Commander? What can we do for you?" the forensics specialist asked cheerfully.

"I need these samples run," Satoshi stated.

The man took the envelope and peered inside. "Looks like you got everything. When do you need it?"

"As soon as possible."

The specialist frowned. "Usually testing like this runs about two weeks." He paused and looked at Satoshi. "Is that going to be too long?"

"I need it as soon as possible," he repeated.

The man sighed. "Since they're yours, I can probably get them pushed through. It'll take at least three days, though."

"Thank you," Satoshi said sincerely as he walked out.

This was the only way to know for certain.

And for the first time in Satoshi's life, he truly hoped he was wrong.


	16. Part 2: Chapter 1: November 1

**Part 2**

**Chapter 1: November 1**

Daisuke had rarely felt more miserable. He'd spent three hellish days in his room so far, suffering from stomach cramps alternating with vicious bouts of nausea. Hiwatari-kun had visited him that first day, but Riku-san had brought him his homework since then. He couldn't really blame Hiwatari-kun, after all. Dark had been very angry, and to be perfectly honest, as his symptoms continued into the third day, Daisuke wasn't too overly happy with the pale-haired commander either.

Today, he had decided that he **had** to go to school. He felt better, a little, and he would almost welcome school as relief from Towa-chan and his mother's continual hovering. He picked his bag up off the desk and made sure he had all of his make-up work. He swung it over his shoulder, and knocked some of his pictures over.

"Oh, crap," he sighed as he righted them. He frowned. The one of his mother and grandfather from thirty years ago was missing.

_You probably knocked it behind the desk,_ Dark offered.

_I don't have time to look for it now._ Daisuke walked down the stairs and was immediately accosted by Emiko.

"Are you sure you want to go, Dai-chan?" his mother said worriedly. "I mean, you do have a doctor's excuse. You can stay home if you want."

"No, I really need to go," Daisuke said tiredly. "I've already missed a lot of school recently, with the whole Freedert thing and now getting sick. I'm going to have trouble passing my tests."

"If you feel sick at all," Emiko began, her fierce tone at odds with the gentleness of her fingers as she gently wrapped a scarf around her son's neck, "You call and I'll come get you, okay?"

"Sure, Mom."

She straightened his collar. "You know I get nervous when you 'sure, Mom' me."

He smiled faintly at her. "I'll be fine."

She smiled back and moved out of his way, and Daisuke gratefully walked out of the house. As soon as the door closed behind him, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

_Couldn't wait to get out, huh?_ the thief asked sympathetically.

_I know they care about me and all, but Mom can be a little stifling at times. And Towa-chan's worse._

Dark smiled and shook his head. _I don't know, two pretty ladies fussing over me or going to school. I know what I'd pick._

Daisuke snorted. _Come on, they'd drive you crazy too._

The thief shrugged. _Nah._

_Fine. The next time we get hurt or sick or something, you can deal with them._

_Deal._

Daisuke had left early enough so that he could walk fairly slowly to school. He wasn't quite sure if his stomach was up to having to run yet.

He didn't even want to think about lunch.

_Daisuke, if you feel bad, you should go home,_ the thief said with concern clear in his voice.

_I have to go to school_, the redhead said as he shook his head. _I'm gonna fail something if I miss any more classes. _

_So what use does a thief need for school?_ Dark asked.

_I'm not going to be a thief my entire life, you know,_ Daisuke said with a tinge of humor. _Someday Riku-san will accept you as part of me, and you'll disappear. I have to have something to do after that._

_You don't need me to be a good thief, Daisuke. You're pretty good all by yourself._

Daisuke actually stopped walking for a second, touched. _Thanks. _He started walking again. _But it's not something I want to do forever._

_So what do you want to do?_ Dark asked curiously.

_I'm not sure,_ Daisuke admitted. _I really like painting, but I'm not that good at it. Not good enough to make a living at it, anyway._

The thief sighed. _Well, you're not bad. You could get better, if you worked at it. _A hint of wickedness crept into his voice. _Oh well, if whatever you decide to do doesn't work out, you still have being a thief to fall back on._

Daisuke made a small face and walked through the turnstile to board the train. _Thanks Dark._

_Anytime,_ he said cheerfully.

Dark kept up a teasing, slightly sarcastic monologue about the people on the train and the places that they passed as Daisuke continued to school. Dark's little commentary was definitely amusing and had the beneficial effect of keeping Daisuke's mind off his stomach so that the redhead got to school without any difficulty.

Once in school was another matter, though. A dozen students came up to make sure he was okay, and Daisuke was having a hard time trying to keep up with the multiple conversations.

And then a very irate reporter shoved Nishimura out of the way. "Daisuke! How could you do this to me? Do you realize that you've missed three very important practices? How can you even think of skipping at this crucial time?!" Saehara bellowed.

"I was sick," Daisuke protested.

The reporter scowled. "You're always sick. If I'd know you were going to be this unreliable, Daisuke, I would never have cast you as Freedert in the first place."

_Wow, I wish he'd said that sooner_, Dark said wistfully.

Daisuke nodded a silent agreement to the thief and tried to placate Saehara. The reporter didn't look pacified, but stalked back to his seat.

And then Satoshi walked in. He immediately saw that Daisuke had returned, and a curious thing happened. Although the expression on his face didn't change, for a second relief showed in the ice-blue eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by a deep apprehension.

Daisuke blinked in confusion, and when he looked back, the look in the commander's eyes had vanished, leaving only his usual deadpan.

Satoshi said nothing, but turned and walked to his seat.

_That was odd,_ Daisuke said slowly.

Dark scowled. _He's probably afraid that I'll kill him for doing this to us. _ The thief gave a feral grin. _He should know me better than that. I wouldn't kill him, oh no._

Daisuke sighed and waited for the other shoe to drop.

Sure enough, the thief didn't disappoint him. _Just killing him would be too easy._

But before he could think of an appropriate response, the teacher came in and class began.

He'd have to deal with Satoshi later.

XXXXX

Unfortunately, that was the last time Daisuke really saw Satoshi all day. As soon as the bell for lunch rang, the commander disappeared. Daisuke didn't want to talk to him badly enough that he'd face the very steep stairs that led to the roof, so he decided that he would simply catch him after school.

But again, as soon as the bell rang, the pale-haired teen vanished. Daisuke caught sight of him in the hall as he was leaving, but by the time he got to the door, Satoshi was nowhere to be seen.

_He's avoiding us_, Daisuke said with annoyance.

_He's skipping practice, too,_ Dark observed. He grinned. _Saehara's going to kill him. _

Saehara was indeed furious, so much that Daisuke actually found himself feeling sorry for the commander. But when Saehara contented himself by yelling at Daisuke twice as much as usual, his pity faded.

And when his stomach started cramping again, his pity vanished.

He felt Dark wince with him as a particularly strong cramp ripped through his stomach. And this time when Dark started muttering threats and imprecations towards the commander, Daisuke found himself starting to agree.

XXXXX

Satoshi stared at the forensics specialist. "There can be no doubt?" he asked.

"No," the man sighed, looking exhausted. "DNA doesn't lie."

"All right," the commander nodded. "Thank you very much for getting this done so quickly."

A tired smile flashed across the specialist's face. "Any time, Commander. Just not for a few days, okay?"

Satoshi nodded and walked down the hall towards the stairs. It was exactly as he had feared, and now only one question remained.

How the **hell** was he going to tell Niwa?


	17. Chapter 2: November 1

**Chapter 2: November 1**

Daisuke dragged himself out of the theatre. Saehara had finally let him go when the scent of another student's snack had caused him to turn a sickly shade of green.

The thought of Nishimura's greasy sandwich made his stomach roil, and he moaned.

Dark's moan echoed his a second later. _When I see Hiwatari again, I think I **will** kill him. Sure, I've been stealing from his family for hundreds of years, but as payback, this is excessive._

Hitching his bag higher, Daisuke started towards home. He hadn't gone more than ten steps before Satoshi appeared around the corner.

_Speak of the devil,_ Dark said nastily. _It's a good thing I feel like shit, otherwise the Honorable Commander there would be mincemeat. Leaving a decoy at the bottom of a damn LATRINE!_

The commander strode towards him and placed himself directly in Daisuke's way. "Niwa, I have to talk to you," Satoshi said shortly.

Daisuke winced slightly as another cramp twisted his stomach. He kept walking. "I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun, but we really don't want to talk to you right now."

Satoshi sighed impatiently and fell into step beside him. "Yes, you're sick; I'm sorry; it's your curse's own fault for falling for it; can we please move on now?"

Daisuke frowned. "You can't just dismiss it so easily, Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi sighed deeply, then stepped in front of Daisuke and took him by the shoulders.

"Hey—" Daisuke began, annoyed.

Satoshi cut him off. "Niwa, forget about the damn axe for a minute. You have bigger problems right now."

The look in the commander's eyes brought both Daisuke and Dark to their full attention.

"What is it, Hiwatari-kun?" asked Daisuke softly.

The teen dropped his hands from Daisuke's shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, can we go somewhere a little more private than the middle of the street?"

"Okaaay," the redhead said slowly. "How about the fountain park?"

Satoshi nodded in acknowledgement and started off towards it. Daisuke fell into step beside him. He still didn't feel good, but now apprehension was twisting his stomach just as much as the illness was.

_Any idea what this is about?_ Dark asked.

_No, but he seems uncomfortable, nervous almost,_ Daisuke replied.

_I didn't know the creepy bastard could do nervous._

_Me neither. And don't call him that._

_What? Creepy bastard?_

_Yeah._

_But he is! _Dark protested.

Before Daisuke could retort, Satoshi waved a hand in front of his face. "Niwa?"

Daisuke jerked his attention back to his surroundings. They had reached the park. "Oh. Sorry."

Satoshi dropped down onto the bench around the fountain, and Daisuke followed.

"Okay, so what's so important?" the redhead asked awkwardly.

Satoshi stared at him deeply. "Is Dark listening too?"

"Yeah."

"Good. This involves both of you." Satoshi leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "All right. Over the past few weeks, I've been doing research into Dark's activities the last time he was here, 40 years ago."

_I would've thought that was standard Hikari training,_ Dark said sarcastically.

Daisuke shushed him.

"Of course, I already knew about his thefts. I studied the details of all of his jobs before I joined the Azumano police force," Satoshi continued, unaware of Dark's comment.

_See! I was right! _

"But after observing Dark's relationship with Harada Risa, I determined that it might be useful to see if Dark had had a similar relationship 40 years ago."

'_Observing my—' He was **stalking** me! He is the **creepiest** of creepy bastards!_

"After wading through hundreds of newspaper stories about Dark, I found a mention of him crashing a formal ball—"

_I remember that! God, that was fun._

_Dark! Stop interrupting!_ Daisuke hissed.

"—And the story mentioned that he danced with one woman in a medieval costume and that they disappeared together. Only one shop in town supplied that type of costume forty years ago. After going through their files, I found the woman's name: Kobayashi Rika."

Dark's internal sniping commentary abruptly stopped.

"I started searching for more information on Kobayashi-san. Eventually, I found the diary of her best friend Kasumi, who was also her child's caretaker."

_Dark?_ Daisuke inquired, concerned.

There was only silence from the corner of his mind that Dark inhabited.

"The diary mentions Kobayashi falling in love with the mysterious phantom thief, but realizing a relationship would never work."

"And then what happened to her?" Daisuke asked softly.

"She got married to her intended after Dark disappeared." Satoshi turned to stare directly at him. "A man named Nakahara Ichiro. The pair had a daughter, and she, in turn, married a man named Harada."

"Harada?" Daisuke echoed.

"Yes. Kobayashi Rika, the woman Dark loved, is the grandmother of the Harada twins."

"Oh. Wow." Daisuke was surprised, but still confused. "That's interesting, Hiwatari-kun, but that doesn't seem as bad as you made it out to be."

Satoshi leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, and dropped his head into his hands. "There's more, Niwa," he said tiredly. "The diary continued after Kobayashi married." He pulled a paper out of his bag and handed it to Niwa. It was a digital photograph of old, handwritten pages. Daisuke stared at them. "I thought it would be best if you read them for yourself."

As Daisuke scanned the printout, his frown of confusion deepened.

August 6

Since Rika's husband was out of town today, she met me in the park for a walk so we could catch up. She looked beautiful, radiant. At first, I thought marriage was agreeing with her. But then I realized. I asked her if she was pregnant, and she burst into tears.

Tears! And not joyful ones! When I finally calmed down, she told me everything.

I would never have thought it of her…but then, I saw them together. She was so much in love with him, and he with her. It shouldn't have surprised me.

She asked for my advice, and God forgive me, I told her not to tell her husband. It would only lead to harm, both for her and the child.

Daisuke looked up. "I don't understand."

"There's another entry you need to read," Satoshi pointed out.

December 14

Rika and Tsu-chan came to visit me in the hospital today. Tsu-chan has grown so much since the last time I've seen her. She's truly a beautiful child with dancing, laughing brown eyes. And sometimes, when she looks at me just right, it brings all the memories back. I can see her father in them.

I miss watching her. You can't have raised someone for six years and then leave without feeling a hole in your heart. Rika is so blessed.

When they left, she gave me a locket with a lock of her hair in it, so "I'll always have a part of her with me." I think she knows I'm not coming home. I could tell from the look on her face.

Beautiful, intelligent, and with a temper as fiery as that hair. She'll make a lucky man very happy, just like her mother did. I pray she's luckier in love than her mother, though.

Daisuke handed the pages back to Satoshi. "What does this mean? I'm sorry, but I still don't understand."

"Rika-san had her baby girl eight months after she and Nakahara were married."

Daisuke frowned. "So?"

Satoshi moved his gaze from the ground to his bag. He pulled it open and extracted a yellowed piece of stiff paper. The pale-haired teen held it out to Daisuke.

He took it. It was an old black and white picture, a portrait of a lovely woman with her arms around a very cute 4 or 5 year old girl.

"They look familiar," Daisuke said hesitantly.

Satoshi nodded. "The older woman is Rika-san, and the child is her daughter Tsukiko. Look at them closer."

The redhead concentrated. Rika strongly resembled her granddaughters, but the child seemed even more familiar.

Daisuke felt Dark stir. _Risa looks so much like her. Seeing her was like seeing Rika again, alive and happy._

_Dark…what about the girl?_ Daisuke asked.

_I dunno. She looks familiar though...something about her cheekbones, the way she holds her head, _Dark said distantly.

"Maybe this will help," Satoshi said, holding out another photograph. It was the picture of Daisuke's grandfather with Emiko as a child; the one that Daisuke **thought** he had lost somewhere behind his desk.

Daisuke compared that photo with the one of Rika and her daughter. With a gasp of realization, he dropped the picture as if it had burned him.

Emiko and Tsukiko looked very, **very** similar.

"What is this?" Daisuke gasped.

Satoshi put his hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Niwa, I need you to tell me. Were Dark and Kobayashi Rika ever intimate?"

Daisuke looked at Satoshi, eyes so wide that the whites could be seen all around. He no longer cared about his stomachache. "Hiwatari-kun…what are you trying to say?"

"I think that Rika-san's daughter was not fathered by Nakahara Ichiro. I think her father was Dark."


	18. Chapter 3: November 1

ASN: Sorry for leaving you all in the dark…

AN: (groan) That was a **horrible** pun.

ASN: But all is explained. We promise.

**Chapter 3: November 1**

A stunned silence fell. Daisuke began to slowly shake his head. "No, that's not possible. Dark's not …he isn't…he doesn't have a body! He isn't real!"

"No, Dark doesn't have a body. That's why he needs yours," Satoshi explained urgently. "Think about it, Niwa. You body changes, grows, to suit Dark's needs, but it is still your body. The same thing applies to Dark's host of 40 years ago."

"Dark's host? You mean Jii-chan?" Daisuke asked weakly then strengthened. "No. Jii-chan would never do that. Dark wouldn't do that. I know it," the redhead insisted in increasingly strident tones. "How dare you say something like that?!"

Satoshi dropped his gaze to his bag again. "I wouldn't say anything like this without proof," he said softly, pulling a computer printout from his bag.

Daisuke took it with a shaking hand. It was a DNA test result, stating that Hair A was undoubtedly the father of Hair B.

"What is this?"

"Hair B is the lock of hair that Tsukiko gave to her caretaker in the locket. She is the daughter of Hair A—"

"And who is that?" Daisuke interrupted nervously.

Satoshi was silent for a moment. "Hair A is a sample from your grandfather, Niwa Daiki."

Daisuke dropped the printout. "That's impossible."

Satoshi shook Daisuke's shoulder slightly. "Niwa. Ask Dark."

_Dark? You didn't, did you? _

There was silence from Dark's corner.

_Dark! _

_Oh, god…Rika…_ came a faint whisper. _This wasn't supposed to happen._

Daisuke jerked upright, eyes flashing. _You **did**!!_

_I didn't think it would happen! _Dark protested. _I'm a spirit, a curse; I don't have a real body, just like you said. I didn't know I **could**!_

"Although it was Dark who had the relationship with Rika-san, it was his host's body he used. It was his host's DNA that helped create Tsukiko, Rika-san's daughter." Satoshi studied Daisuke, worry evident in his eyes. "Niwa…do you understand what this means?"

"Dark's the grandfather of Harada-san and Riku-san," Daisuke said faintly.

"No, Niwa. Your _grandfather_ is the genetic grandfather of the Harada twins. That makes the twins your…cousins," Satoshi concluded softly.

_Oh. My. God. _

_Oh shit,_ Dark whispered.

_What do you have to be upset about?_ Daisuke snarled, suddenly turning on the phantom thief. _You're not the one who's been dating his own cousin. How could you do this to me?! And you! You kissed her! You kissed Risa! You kissed **both** of them! Your own granddaughters!_

_Daisuke, could we not talk about this right now? _Dark asked plaintively, clearly still stunned.

Daisuke, startled by the pain evident in Dark's voice, subsided. As Daisuke's anger faded, his other feelings swept over him, overwhelming and ultimately devastating.

_Riku-san…_

XXXXX

"Niwa?"

Daisuke was sitting ramrod-straight on the bench, eyes unfocused as he directed all of his attention inward.

"Niwa?" Satoshi asked again, starting to get concerned.

_Is he dead? _Krad asked with malicious amusement.

_No. And stay out of this._

_Oh, but this is the most entertaining thing that's happened to our clans in generations._

_I said stay out of this_, Satoshi said in a voice cold and still as ice.

_Oh, very well. But only as a special favor to you, Satoshi-sama. However, _the curse's voice vibrated with malevolence, _it would be a shame if they died from the shock before I can kill them._

The commander felt Krad's consciousness fade away to an unspeaking observer lurking in the back of his mind. Satoshi ignored it with the ease of practice and focused his attention back on his classmate. Daisuke was white as snow.

"Niwa?" he asked again, waving his hand in front of the redhead's face. Daisuke's eyes were glassy and didn't flicker.

Satoshi sighed. He hadn't expected Daisuke to take it this badly, although given his previous history of emotional trauma and resultant breakdown, in addition to being sick, he shouldn't have been surprised. "Come on, Niwa, I'll take you home."

He helped Daisuke up, looping the smaller boy's arm around his shoulders so that his weight was supported by Satoshi's shoulder. The two started off towards Daisuke's house.

The journey was slow. Although Daisuke was moving under his own power, he was dazed and his steps were erratic, causing the two to lurch slightly. Eventually Satoshi could see the Niwa residence off in the distance, but at their current pace it would take at least another five minutes of painful staggering to get there. The commander sighed in resignation and easily scooped the smaller boy into his arms, carrying him the rest of the way.

He walked up to the front door and hit the doorbell with his elbow. Satoshi studied the boy in his arms. His amber-colored eyes were beginning to vaguely focus again.

"Niwa?" he asked gently.

The door opened. "Good aftern— Dai-chan!" Niwa Emiko stared in shock at the still form of her son in Satoshi's arms. Her eyes flamed. "What did you do to him?!"

"He's had a shock, but he's coming out of it," Satoshi said coolly. "Some tea would probably help."

Emiko stood in the door, clearly debating the pros of getting her son the tea while leaving him in the presence of a Hikari.

Satoshi sighed. "I won't do anything to him. I have no wish to harm your son,"

Emiko's eyes narrowed. "Then I suppose the giardiasis was just a mistake, then?"

He glared back at her, suddenly and unaccountably annoyed. "May I enter or not? Your son is getting heavy and I'm sure neither of us wants me to drop him."

She pulled the door open wider and let Satoshi pass without a word. He headed for the living room, and Emiko followed close behind him.

"Emiko-san, who was at the d— Daisuke!" Kosuke shot up from the sofa and took his son from Satoshi. He laid Daisuke on the couch and knelt next to him, checking his pulse with the ease of experience. The Niwa's demon-rabbit familiar hopped onto Daisuke's chest and started making concerned chirring noises. Emiko disappeared into the kitchen. Niwa Daiki, Daisuke's grandfather, likewise stood, but merely stared impassively at Satoshi.

Satoshi stared back. He was starting to feel a little uncomfortable in a house full of worried, angry Niwa, but he'd be damned if he let that show.

"Hikari-san?" came a soft, female voice behind him. Satoshi turned slightly. The Towa no Shirube stood, incongruously dressed in a maid's uniform, holding a cup of tea. She offered it to him.

"Thank you," Satoshi said, surprised.

Towa smiled. "You look like you need it almost as much as Daisuke, there."

"So you don't think that it's my fault?" Satoshi asked, not bothering to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Of course not!" Towa chirped. "You wouldn't hurt Daisuke. I mean, anymore than you do when you try to catch Dark, but that's _Dark_, not Daisuke."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Satoshi said flatly, gazing back at the Niwa. Kosuke was helping Daisuke sit up and Emiko was making sure Daisuke got some of the tea in him. The redhead was clearly coming around.

And once Emiko verified that her son was okay, she whirled on the Hikari. "What happened?" she hissed.

Satoshi scowled slightly, fed up with her suspicions. "I was relating to Niwa some of the conclusions I reached in my research into Dark's past. He didn't take the news well."

"What kind of news sends someone into shock?" Emiko's voice was high-pitched and strident.

"Research into our clans is often shocking…sometimes literally. I would think that you would appreciate that," Satoshi said acerbically.

Emiko ruffled, but Kosuke stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Emiko. What was your research about, Hikari-san?"

Satoshi stiffened. "I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that."

The man raised an eyebrow. "But it is who you are."

"My name does not define who I am," Satoshi stated.

Kosuke gave him a look that seemed to indicate the matter was not closed, but nodded.

"I was researching Dark's relationships during the last time he appeared, forty years ago," Satoshi began, but he was cut off by Daisuke's sudden reawakening. He sat up quite suddenly, sending the white demon-rabbit flying, and looked daggers at his grandfather.

"Jii-chan! How could you?!" he accused.

The older man froze, a comical look of confusion on his face. "Huh?"

"You could have stopped him!"

"Stopped who?" Emiko asked, trying very hard not to send a suspicious glance in Satoshi's direction and failing utterly.

"But Dark did it—" Daisuke continued ranting.

"Did what?" Kosuke asked.

"But he didn't know it—"

"Know what?"

Daisuke was starting to hyperventilate again. "And now the twins can't know and Dark knows now but didn't before and Jii-chan should have stopped it and Hiwatari-kun found out—"

"I knew this was your fault!" Emiko snapped, glaring at Satoshi again. He matched her burning anger with an icy cold stare of his own.

"I'll admit that I was the one who brought all of this to light, but he had to know."

"Know what?!" Kosuke asked firmly.

"I'm dating my cousin," Daisuke announced, "and it's all Dark's fault."

Total silence was, for once, known in the Niwa residence.

But only for a moment.

XXXXX

Three hours later, when the shouting and recriminations had finally died down, Daisuke dully noticed that Hiwatari-kun was gone.

_He slipped out about two hours ago, after his long and much-interrupted explanation and before Emiko's hour-long rant. _

_Lucky him._

"So what are we going to do?" Emiko asked, calmly sipping her tea.

"I don't know what we can do," Daisuke's grandfather sighed.

Kosuke rested his chin on his hands, frowning. "Daisuke, are you going to continue to see Riku?"

"What? No!" Daisuke exclaimed, shocked. "That's just—no! I couldn't anymore, knowing about this! Why on earth would you ask?"

"Curiosity," Kosuke said serenely. "We could, after all, act as though we never found out. If you wanted."

"No," Daisuke said instantly, shaking his head. "I can't do that. If she ever found out that I knew, she'd be horrified."

"All for the better, I suppose," Kosuke said thoughtfully. "After all, it's quite likely that a Niwa-Niwa cross would result in offspring with enough latent magical power to destroy half the city."

"Really?" Daisuke was vaguely intrigued despite himself.

"Indeed. It almost makes one wonder what would happen if the Niwa and Hikari lines were mixed," Kosuke mused.

The room went silent and he shifted nervously as everyone stared at him. "Speaking, of course, merely from a hypothetical, researcher's point of view…I'll be in the garden."

Kosuke booked it out of the room, leaving Daisuke alone with his mother and his grandfather. Jii-chan still looked shocked. "Jii-chan…did you know about this?" he found himself asking.

"No! Well…Dark and I had a deal. I didn't sit in on his conversations with Rika, and he didn't eavesdrop when I was visiting Menou."

"But how could you not notice any of this?"

Daiki looked uncomfortable. "Well, I **perhaps** was suspicious that they weren't just talking—"

"Jii-chan!" Daisuke gasped as Emiko admonished, "Dad!"

"It wasn't my place to say anything!" Daiki protested. "Dark was hundreds of years older than I was, and didn't need a babysitter…or a conscience."

"Well, apparently he needed **something**!" Emiko said stridently.

Daisuke stood up abruptly. "I can't deal with this anymore right now."

Daiki turned to his grandson. "I'm sorry, Daisuke. I know this is hardest on you."

"I'm gonna have to tell Riku-san tomorrow," Daisuke said distantly. "I can't **not** tell her."

Emiko shot to her feet as well, eyes wide. "You're not going to tell her about Dark, are you?"

"Well, I can't exactly pretend nothing's wrong, either," Daisuke snapped. Then he rubbed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm just really upset. And I can't keep this up with Riku-san…not knowing this."

She softened slightly and pulled him into a hug. "I know, Dai-chan."

He let her hold him for a moment, then pulled away. "I'm going to bed."

Daiki held up a hand. "Daisuke…if she calls, what should we tell her?"

Daisuke paused on the stairs. "Tell her I'm sick," he said after a moment. "She won't question it."

"All right."

Daisuke undressed slowly and climbed into bed. He could hear his parents talking softly in the garden through the open window. Though he couldn't hear words, he could hear the tones, and his mom was obviously upset.

As for Dark, he hadn't said anything for hours. That was perfectly okay, since Daisuke didn't really want to talk to him, anyway. There was nothing to say.


	19. Chapter 4: November 2

**Chapter 4: November 2**

Daisuke didn't sleep that night. He spent the entire time lying awake, staring at the wall. Dimly, he could sense that Dark was awake as well, musing over the news they had received. Daisuke had always been able to vaguely tell what kind of mood Dark was in, and this time was no different—he was upset. As the sun rose and a new day began, a feeling of despair and pain washed over him…and Daisuke honestly didn't know if it was his feeling, Dark's feeling, or a combination.

"Daisuke." Towa had entered the room silently, but she was very good about announcing her presence when she felt it necessary. "It's time to get up."

"I know." He sat up and tried to smile at her, though he knew it was an absolute failure. "I'm coming."

She took a step forward and touched his hand softly. "Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, Towa-chan. But if I think of anything, I'll tell you."

Giving him a reassuring smile, she headed out of the room. Daisuke dressed slowly and headed down the stairs. Emiko was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "Dai-chan, you don't have to go today if you don't want to. I'll send a notice and tell them you relapsed."

"It's fine, Mom," he told her. "I'll be all right…and I can't hide from Riku-san."

She nodded. "Come on. You have time today, so I'm going to make you sit and eat a good breakfast."

Slowly, a smile surfaced on Daisuke's face. "Thank you, Mom."

XXXXX

After eating, Daisuke headed off. He was only a minute away when Dark finally spoke. _Daisuke…are you okay?_

_No,_ Daisuke said irritably. Deep inside, he still was mad at Dark for putting him in this position in the first place. He knew that Dark had had no idea…but still. _I'm tired, upset, and trying to figure out a good way to break up with my cousin. Any suggestions? _

_Daisuke…_

He began to feel guilty. _I'm sorry, Dark. I just…everyone's being so careful around me, but it doesn't make me feel any better. It makes me feel like I have a disease or something._

_I know._

_What am I going to do? _

_That, I don't know. _

"Niwa-kun!"

A sick feeling rose in Daisuke's chest. He turned slowly, hoping against hope that he was imagining things.

He wasn't.

Riku came running up to him, smiling widely. "Niwa-kun! Practice was canceled this morning, so I decided to meet you halfway. We can walk back together."

"H-h—" His mouth wasn't working. "Hi, Riku-san."

She chuckled and fell into place next to him. "Hi, Niwa-kun. How are you this morning?"

"Okay."

"That's good." There was quiet for a moment, then she started talking again. "Are you going to have anything for the Cultural Festival, since your painting was stolen?"

The episode with the painting had never been brought up before. Daisuke didn't really want to talk about it, and Riku didn't really remember much about it, due to Dark's fiddling with the twins' memories. He had simply blurred the entire incident. As a result, Riku seemed to think that Dark had managed to steal the painting. That was an acceptable excuse, so Daisuke had never corrected her.

"No, I don't think so," he said after a moment. "Not enough time."

"Well, I think whenever they capture Dark, you should demand it back!" Riku told him. He simply nodded, tuning her out as she continued complaining about Dark.

He started when her hand waved in front of his nose. "Niwa-kun?"

"Y-yeah?"

Riku took a step closer to him. "Niwa-kun, are you all right?"

Daisuke looked at her, nervous. She was frowning slightly, obviously disturbed. Worry and care were reflected in her eyes.

He thought for a moment he was going to cry.

"Niwa-kun?"

"Riku-san," he said shortly, "I-I don't feel too good. Why don't you go ahead; I'll catch up."

She blinked at him and shook her head stubbornly. "No, Niwa-kun! I'll stay with you if you feel sick."

"Please, Riku-san."

Daisuke knew that he was almost begging, and Riku picked up on that. She studied him closely, then took a step away and sighed. "All right, Niwa-kun, I'll go ahead. Are you sure you're okay without me?"

The sick feeling in his chest grew. "I think I'll manage."

"Okay." With one last troubled glance, she headed off down the road. He sank onto the nearest bench, and the tears that would not come yesterday began to flow, hard and fast…and silent.

_Daisuke, calm down. It'll be okay._

_How can you say that?!_ Daisuke cried at his other self. _I can't do this, Dark—I can't hurt her like this. She cares about me, I know it. She…we could have been happy. And now we can't, and it's so stupid!_

Daisuke could feel Dark trying to comfort him, but he didn't want it. He drew his knees up to his chest and laid his head down, still crying. _It was all going so well…and now she's going to be so mad, so hurt. She'll hate me. **I** hate me. _

_Don't you dare,_ Dark ordered suddenly. He sounded firm, even a little angry. _Don't you even dare. If you're going to hate anyone, hate me. But not you. This is not your fault, Daisuke. You've just been caught in the middle. _He paused. _And for what it's worth…I'm sorry._

Daisuke opened his eyes. _Wha—_

_I know, I generally don't apologize for anything, _Dark said, completely serious, _but that's because I'm usually not sorry. This time, though…my mistakes have hurt you, Daisuke. And that's not something I'm happy about. _

_Dark…_ This time, Daisuke tried his best to convey comfort. _Don't be so hard on yourself. I can't hate you. _

_Thanks, Daisuke…I needed to hear that._

A hand touched Daisuke's shoulder, and he jerked his head up in surprise. Standing in front of him was one of the ladies he called good morning to every day on the way to school. She smiled at him in a concerned, motherly way.

"Are you all right, dear? If you sit much longer, you're going to be late."

"Oh!" Daisuke jumped to his feet, dragging his arm across his face to remove the last traces of tears. "You're right. Thank you!" He hurriedly said goodbye and headed off. She waved.

"Have a good day!"

He smiled, with just a touch of sadness in it, and continued. _I'll talk to Riku-san after school. What do you think, Dark? _

_Better after school than during it. _

_Yeah. _ Daisuke arrived in the classroom with just enough time to see Riku. She looked up at his arrival and smiled. "Niwa-kun! Do you feel better?"

"Uh-huh." He ran a hand through his hair. "I was wondering…do you want to walk with me to the park after school?"

Her face lit up for a moment, then she frowned. "I have practice, Niwa-kun. I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow?"

"I—" Now was time to implement the back-up plan. Unfortunately, he didn't have one. "Well, it's important…"

"Oh." She looked a little confused. "Well, you could wait for me, if you wanted. I can't miss it, since we didn't practice this morning."

"That's okay, I can wait," he told her. "See you then." He scurried to his desk before she could say or ask anything.

_Did that go okay?_ Daisuke asked Dark. _Or did I sound weird?_

_You sounded weird,_ Dark confirmed. _However, you usually come across as being a little spastic, so I don't think anyone noticed. _

_That's good then—maybe. _

_Depends on the definition. _With that, Dark retreated into his corner of Daisuke's mind. _Call me if you need anything, all right?_

Daisuke agreed, slightly surprised. Dark had never said that before. He guessed that the thief was really worried about him. It was nice to know Dark cared so much about his relationship with Riku.

_I don't care so much about her as I do about you being happy. _

Daisuke smiled. _Thanks, Dark. _

_Hey, don't take it the wrong way. If you weren't happy, my life would be much more difficult. _

The smile grew wider. _Of course, Dark. Whatever you say. _

_You bet. Now I'm going to take a nap. _

_Good night._

Then Dark was gone, and Daisuke settled back in his seat, oddly comforted. Perhaps he could make it through the day, after all.

XXXXX

When Daisuke had thought he could survive the day, he'd forgotten about lunchtime. Lunch, the period that he usually spent with Saehara and Riku-san and Harada-san and whoever else wanted to hang with them that day. Lunch, with Riku-san sitting right next to him, laughing and smiling and happy.

It was absolutely horrible for him.

Or at least, it would have been, if Hiwatari-kun hadn't saved him.

When they were dismissed, Daisuke had looked up and noticed Riku heading straight for his desk. He had blanched slightly, panicking. There was no way he could eat with her and still pretend that everything was okay.

Suddenly, he had noticed Satoshi walking by his desk. He had cast a quick glance at Daisuke, and an idea had suddenly came to the redhead.

"Hiwatari-kun! Can I borrow your chemistry notes?" Satoshi had turned, looking vaguely confused. "I need to get the material that I missed when I was sick, and you have the best notes in the class."

Satoshi's eyebrow had risen slowly, but Daisuke had known that the commander knew exactly what he wanted. Riku had arrived at his desk by then and was looking a little put out. "Niwa-kun, you could borrow my notes if you want—"

"Well, I would, but chemistry isn't my best subject, and Hiwatari-kun is so very thorough and I need all the help I can get. Do you mind, Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi had blinked at him, then nodded. "Of course not. When?"

"Now, please. Then I can give them back before our next class." Daisuke had turned back to Riku, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, but I need to do this. I'll see you after practice, though, okay?"

After a moment, Riku had given up. "All right, then. If you finish, come sit with me, though, okay?"

"We'll see."

She had disappeared, and Daisuke had gratefully followed Satoshi up the stairwell to the roof. Now that he was here and both of the boys had unwrapped their lunches, though, he wasn't sure what to say.

"So, you're going to talk to Harada after school?" Satoshi said abruptly.

Daisuke nodded. "Yeah…that's the plan."

"Are you all right?"

"Not really. I don't have any idea what I'm going to say to her. I mean, I've never broken up with anyone before. I…" He trailed off, feeling vaguely ill. Daisuke tossed his half-eaten lunch back in his bag. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Satoshi gave him a look. "What makes you think I know how to effectively end a relationship with someone?"

For some reason, Daisuke got the feeling Satoshi wasn't pleased with being asked such a question. "No, I don't think that. You just always have an idea of what to do in any situation."

"Unfortunately, my experience with these sorts of situations are limited," Satoshi said dryly. "Ask Dark."

"Maybe I'll do that," Daisuke said thoughtfully. "But honestly, Hiwatari-kun…you don't think it's a good idea to tell Riku-san the real reason, do you?"

Satoshi looked faintly astonished. "I'm surprised you would consider it."

"I'm not," Daisuke told him. "But, I was wondering if I should. You know, as a courtesy."

After a moment of consideration, Satoshi shook his head. "Harada would not be able to accept the truth, especially if you explained everything about Dark, and it would most likely make the situation much worse."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Satoshi stood as the bell rang faintly below them. "It's time to go."

"I don't want to," Daisuke grumbled, standing up and brushing crumbs away. "I hardly ate anything—Mom's going to be irritated."

"I doubt she'll blame you," Satoshi commented as they headed back toward the classroom. "Today is an unusual day."

Daisuke nodded, but before he could respond, he was accosted by Saehara. "Hey, Daisuke! I heard you're staying after school today to wait for elder Harada." He nudged him with an elbow. "That's great! We can squeeze in an extra play practice!"

To say that Daisuke was not overly enthused by such a plan could be considered an understatement. "Saehara, I'm not really in the mood—"

"No matter! The festival is **tomorrow**, for heaven's sake, and we need all the practice we can get. Besides, if you want to be a good actor, you should be able to get into character no matter how you feel!"

"I don't want to be an actor!" Daisuke snapped. "I was elected!"

Saehara didn't seem to care. "Hiwatari, can you stay, or do we need to get the understudy to fill in again?"

Desperate for company if he was going to have to suffer, Daisuke looked at him pleadingly. "Surely you can stay for an hour, Hiwatari-kun?"

"If it is necessary," Satoshi said finally.

"Good!" Saehara clapped his hands together. "I'll see you after school, then." He danced off, and Daisuke glanced at Satoshi.

"Thanks."

Satoshi shrugged slightly and returned to his seat as the teacher bounced into the room. Daisuke sat down as well, noting that Riku had given him a little wave. He waved back half-heartedly, the sick feeling in his chest returning. The day was taking a turn for the worse.


	20. Chapter 5: November 2

**Chapter 5: November 2**

Play practice had been long and embarrassing, as usual. Luckily, the play was scheduled to be performed tomorrow evening, so soon the torture would be over. Daisuke really thought the play should go on, in memory of Freedert-san, but still…

"More feeling! Gaze into his eyes, Daisuke! **Feel** the love!" Saehara yelled.

Daisuke gulped and looked harder at Satoshi. He was smirking, just slightly, and that wasn't helping.

"Now you just look like you're mad at him, Daisuke! It's all wrong! CUT!" Saehara tossed his homemade megaphone down and stomped on it. "This is ridiculous!"

"I'm trying, Saehara, but it's hard to concentrate when you're screaming like that," Daisuke said pointedly. "Maybe you should sit down and take a break."

"There can be no rest!" Saehara declared. "We have to work like animals to get this perfect for the festival! The dedication required can be exhausting for some, but we will never give up!"

_Daisuke, the time,_ Dark interrupted suddenly. Daisuke glanced at the clock and panicked. Riku-san's practice had ended ten minutes ago.

"I have to go!" He yanked the dress off, glad he had worn his regular clothes underneath and refused to let the girls do makeup today. "I'll see you tomorrow, Saehara!"

"Wait, Daisuke! We're not finished with the love scene!"

"Tomorrow! Bye!"

The redhead dashed to the practice field just in time to see Riku step out from the locker room. She looked around, obviously searching for him. He started to raise his hand in greeting…and then pure, suffocating fear washed over him, stopping his gesture halfway.

He couldn't do this.

"Niwa-kun!" She had noticed him anyway. "There you are! How was practice?"

"G-good." He swallowed hard. "How about yours?"

"Long, but we got lots done!" She grinned at him. "We're really doing well this year."

He blinked and tried to nod agreement. For some reason, his body wasn't working. She cocked her head and looked at him curiously. "Niwa-kun, are you okay?"

"Ye-yeah."

"Are we going, then?"

Daisuke managed to nod this time, and headed off down the road. She jogged up next to him. "Slow down, Niwa-kun! You're moving really fast!"

"Sorry." He slowed now, and she looked at him in concern. "Are you all right, Niwa-kun? Do you still feel ill from this morning? I can walk you home, if you like."

"Riku-san." He stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at her. They were barely away from the school, but he couldn't handle this anymore. "Riku-san…"

The sun was beginning to set, and it illuminated her form. For a moment, she truly looked like a Sacred Maiden. "Niwa-kun? What is it?"

He could feel his heart pounding. "Riku-san…I…I hate to do this, really…but—"

Worry was beginning to surface in her eyes. "What is it, Niwa-kun?"

"I…"

_Do you want me to tell her? _Dark spoke up unexpectedly.

The concern in his voice made Daisuke angry, and he snapped back. _No, you've done quite enough for the Harada family, thank you!_

Dark withdrew, obviously hurt, and Daisuke jerked back to reality when Riku touched his arm. "Niwa-kun, talk to me."

"Riku-san, I can't—"

"Spit it out," she said firmly, though he could tell her hand was shaking slightly. "You're scaring me."

"Riku-san…" Daisuke took a deep breath. "You and I can't do this anymore."

She blinked at him. "What?" Then a terrible certainty dawned in her eyes. "You aren't saying what I think you are…right, Niwa-kun?"

"We—we can't see each other anymore," he said slowly, forcing each word out. Her eyes grew wider with every word, until it seemed as though she was going to faint.

"N-Niwa-kun…"

"I'm sorry, Riku-san, but we can't. It's…" He had run out of things to say. "It's just not going to work. W-we have to break up."

"But…" Tears were filling her eyes. "Why are you saying this?"

"I can't explain," Daisuke said after a moment.

"But Niwa-kun—"

"Riku-san." He gently took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "It's over. I'm sorry."

The first tear tracked its way down her cheek, and Daisuke could watch no more. He pulled away and bolted down the road. He glanced over his shoulder, just once, in time to see Riku sink to the ground, already beginning to shake with the force of her sobs. Then she was hidden among the trees, and he was alone.

He stumbled to a stop, collapsing onto a bench lifelessly. He didn't think he could move. The pain was so great that he couldn't even cry.

_Daisuke._ Dark sounded more worried than ever. For a moment, Daisuke thought he could feel the thief's hand settling on his shoulder in a gesture of sympathy. _Is there anything I can do?_

_I want the ground to open up and swallow me. Can you convince it to do that? _

Dark coughed once. _No, but I'm certain there's an artwork somewhere that could pull it off. Do you want me to go find it?_

For some reason, Daisuke found the offer hilarious. He began to laugh silently, holding his sides.

_It's not really that funny, _Dark said, obviously wondering if the laughter was a good sign or a bad one.

He just kept chuckling, lying back on the bench and curling into a ball.

_Daisuke…I think you're getting hysterical._

Sure enough, Dark was right. The laughter soon stopped, intensifying into body-shaking sobs that took his breath away.

_I hate hurting people! _he cried to Dark. _She didn't deserve this!_

_Calm down, Daisuke. You're going to hurt yourself, _Dark warned.

_I **already** hurt! It can't get any worse!_

He could sense that Dark had a response, but the thief wisely kept it to himself. _This isn't going to help anything, Daisuke. You should go home. She might come down here any moment. _

_I don't care! _Daisuke said fiercely. _She should know that I didn't want to do this! _

_Then she's going to want to know why you did it, and the truth is not going to help anyone's mental health, _Dark pointed out.

_But—_

"Niwa?"

Daisuke sat up abruptly, tears still fresh on his face, sure that Riku-san had found him and was going to beg for an explanation.

Instead, it was Satoshi, blinking at him coolly, as usual. But for a second, Daisuke thought he saw a flicker of concern and worry in his eyes.

"Hiwatari-kun? What is it?"

"Do you need help?" the commander asked.

"Me?" Daisuke started to deny it, but Dark's 'ahem!' in the back of his mind made him step back and really assess his state of being. "I don't know…is Riku-san around?"

"No, she passed me on the way here. She seemed to be running in the direction of the school." Satoshi held out his handkerchief.

Daisuke took it with a shaky smile. "You do this a lot, you know?"

A frown creased Satoshi's forehead. "Pardon?"

"You always seem to be around, bailing me out of trouble or giving me a hand." Daisuke thought back for examples as he dried his eyes. "You gave me this handkerchief when you first caught me crying over Harada-san, and then there was the time at the beach with Hio-san. You came to see me when I was sick, right before the Second Hand of Time incident, and also…" A flush came over his cheeks, "at the pool…"

Now Satoshi seemed to be smirking wryly. "Perhaps I'm stalking you."

_I knew it,_ Dark muttered.

Daisuke knew that was a possibility, but for some reason, it didn't seem like it. "I don't think so," he said thoughtfully. "I think, maybe, you just keep an eye on me, so I don't get into a situation I can't handle and end up exposing us all."

The smirk faded, replaced by a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps. Are you all right now?"

"I think so." Daisuke stood up, sniffling once more. "I just—freaked out for a moment."

Satoshi nodded and turned away. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow?" Daisuke was confused. "We don't have school tomorrow."

"The Cultural Festival, Niwa," Satoshi said, looking back at him.

Daisuke couldn't completely muffle the groan as he closed his eyes. "Oh, no. I'm not ready for this. What are they all going to say? What am I going to do?"

"Practice?" Satoshi suggested dryly. Daisuke frowned at him.

"Hiwatari-kun, that's not what I meant. I want the play to go well, as a tribute to Freedert-san…but I don't think that's gonna work if Riku-san is still upset. What if something happens?"

"Adapt," the commander recommended. "That's all you can do."

Daisuke considered this. "But—"

"You should be going home, Niwa," Satoshi continued, beginning to walk away. "There's still a lot of work to be done for the performance."

"Yeah." Daisuke waved at his back, then shrugged and began to head toward his house. For some reason, he was a lot calmer now that he'd spoken with Hiwatari-kun.

_If anything, you should be more nervous when he's around, not comforted_, Dark commented._ You used to be, anyway. _

_Well, that was then, _Daisuke responded. _And who do I have to turn to anymore?_

_Me. _

Daisuke considered that. _Dark, half the stuff I stress about is your fault. _

_All the more reason to come to me; I'll fix it. _

As Daisuke turned into his street, he couldn't help but laugh.

_What?!_

_Thank you. _

_You're welcome,_ Dark said graciously, then paused. _For what? _

_For being you. _


	21. Chapter 6: November 3

**Chapter 6: November 3**

The day of the Cultural Festival dawned bright and clear and beautiful. Unfortunately, Daisuke didn't get to see it.

"You are supposed to be an innocent village girl, Daisuke!" Saehara bellowed. "So look innocent already!"

"How?" Daisuke asked blearily.

"Open your eyes wider!"

"It's kind of hard to open your eyes wide when you're still half asleep!" Daisuke retorted. "Why didn't anyone else have to get here before dawn?"

Saehara glared. "Because nobody else skipped twelve practices!"

Daisuke sighed. "When's the performance again?"

"Seven tonight!" Saehara frowned down at him. "If you do well, you can go home at noon and get some sleep. We can't have a heroine with bags under her eyes, after all."

Daisuke groaned and started to run through his lines once more.

XXXXX

Unfortunately, Daisuke never got to go home for that extra sleep. Instead, the girls in charge of makeup took one look at him and ran out to buy another concealer stick. Daisuke continued to mumble his lines under his breath as the girls patted the makeup onto his face and fiddled with the hem of his dress.

"There!" one of them announced at last, stepping back and clapping her hands. "You look beautiful!"

"Where's Saehara?" another girl yelled. "He has to clear the final details of the lighting!"

"His dad needed him for something. He said he'd be right back," Nishimura hollered back.

Suddenly, a hush fell over one side of the backstage, and all the girls immediately started swooning.

"Oh, you look so handsome!"

"He looks just like him!"

Daisuke looked up to see Satoshi standing before him, dressed in the guise of Phantom Thief Dark, complete down to the purple hair and the black leather. Needless to say, the Honorable Commander was **radiating** disgust.

_I look **so** much better than that!_

Daisuke could not find it in him to laugh. "Oh, Hiwatari-kun," he said in helpless sympathy.

Satoshi did not acknowledge the comment, but as he passed by, Daisuke could hear a faint whisper. "Your mother's taste in clothing leaves somewhat to be desired."

_He's just jealous that I look better in it than he does._

Daisuke closed his eyes. _Please, Dark. Please don't say anything during the play._

_But I was gonna help you with your lines!_

_And how many of them would be changed to have that special 'Dark' touch?_ Daisuke asked severely.

_Well…you have to admit the play is little dull here and there._

Rolling his eyes, Daisuke picked up his script. _Yeah, I can see it now: Scene 4: Freedert tries to impale Elliot with the sword._

_It's only fair, after all. He did it to me first. And you have to admit, the audience would be glued to their seats._

_Daaark…_

And then the world stopped turning as Riku entered.

Daisuke's heart wrenched. She looked horrible. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face was blotchy. Even worse, she was pointedly not looking in his direction.

_It's not your fault, Daisuke._

_Yeah…_

"Daisuke!" Hands placed on his shoulders spun him around, and Daisuke found himself staring dizzily at Saehara. "I want you to meet Hashimoto Aimi. She's visiting with her dad. He's on special assignment here."

"Nice to meet you." Daisuke had an impression of long brown hair and green eyes before he looked back around. Riku had vanished.

"You should go get a good seat," Daisuke heard Saehara advise the girl faintly. The redhead's brow furrowed. _Where did she go, Dark?_

_I dunno. She was there a second ago._

"Hey, stop staring off like that. That's not innocent, that's haunted. Totally different feel than the one that I want," Saehara scolded, shaking Daisuke's shoulders. "Are you ready, Daisuke?"

He smiled weakly. "Yeah. Sure."

"Great!" Saehara grinned excitedly. "The show's about to start. Go up front with Hiwatari so you can go onstage at your cue."

Daisuke squared his shoulders. _Freedert deserves to have her story told. _

_That she does._

_I can do this._

_You can._

Daisuke frowned as he walked to the edge of the wing. _You know, I get really nervous when you start agreeing with me all of a sudden._

_Just trying to be encouraging, _Dark said with a mental shrug.

Satoshi turned to look at him as he awkwardly maneuvered through the crowd of stage hands.

"Are you ready, Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke asked as he straightened his skirt.

"As I'll ever be," Satoshi said sourly.

"Okay, people! We're on in one minute!" Saehara bellowed as he bounced by. "And remember, Daisuke, feel the love!"

_I think I'm going to faint._

_No! Don't faint! _Dark said nervously. _Emiko will make it my fault, somehow. No wait, Hiwatari's here. Go ahead, faint if you want—she'll blame him._

_Very funny._

_Yet true!_

"Five…four…three...two...cue the music!"

Daisuke swallowed convulsively as the narrator began to speak. "Once upon a time…"

XXXXX

"…God was moved by their love for each other. So, because of their devotion and because of their sacrifice, the village they both cherished was promised eternal time," the narrator finished.

Still onstage, Satoshi and Daisuke eyed each other warily. It was time for the last scene, the final embrace between the two lovers. And Daisuke found that he could not move.

"Come on, guys!" Saehara hissed from offstage, still in his 'village girl #1' outfit. "We're almost done."

Satoshi took a hesitant step forward.

Daisuke remained frozen.

Satoshi's face suddenly grew set and determined, and he strode forward, talking Daisuke's unresisting hand. "I'll never let you go," he declared.

All Daisuke could do was stare up at his friend, eyes wide with something other than innocence.

"Would it kill you two to hug?!" Saehara muttered at them.

_It might, you'd be surprised,_ Dark commented. _Just do it and get it over with so they drop the curtain and we can go home, Daisuke._

With a deep sigh that actually sounded good theatrically, Daisuke closed his eyes and gingerly placed his arms around Satoshi.

The audience broke into wild cheers, and the curtain fell triumphantly.

As soon as the curtain was on its way down, Satoshi pushed away from Daisuke. Concerned, the redhead looked up at him. His face was paler than normal.

"Hiwatari-kun?"

"Hey! Get out there and take your bows!" Saehara yelled, pushing Daisuke back onto the stage. Satoshi followed, and the two bowed to loud applause.

When they finally managed to get off the stage and out of public view, Satoshi immediately stalked across the backstage towards the classroom they were using as a changing room, yanking off his wig as he went.

"Wait! Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke called anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"Don't talk to me right now," Satoshi said shortly without turning around.

_You should probably do as he says, _Dark recommended, concern apparent in his voice.

Daisuke stopped dead in his tracks. _Is he okay?_

_Once he beats Krad back into his cage, he'll be fine. _

"Daisuke!" Saehara leapt onto Daisuke's back. "You were great! The play was definitely a success!"  
"Thanks," Daisuke choked out. "Off. Can't breathe."

Saehara got off, smacking him on the shoulder. "Oh, by the way, Daisuke—you look pretty good in that dress." He smirked.

Daisuke blinked at him, then laughed. "Thanks. So do you."

Startled, Saehara frowned at him, and then started laughing, too. Soon, the entire backstage was a jumble of smiling, celebrating students. People were coming up and congratulating Daisuke, taking pictures, and generally enjoying the aftermath of the performance. It was finished…and they had done well.

And then Harada Risa was standing in front of him, her hands on her hips. "You!"

Daisuke stopped in mid-sentence to Nishimura.

"How dare you?!" she continued shrilly.

"H-Harada-san…" Daisuke's heart was pounding. He hadn't thought Riku-san had told anyone—but of course she would tell her twin…

By now the class had noticed the commotion and gone silent. Everyone was watching.

"Out of all the people I know, I never thought **you** would do something like this!" Risa said angrily. "I thought you **cared** for her!"

Daisuke went dead white.

One or two people were beginning to send curious glances in Riku's direction. She noticed, and flushing bright red, ran out the door.

"Riku!" Risa cried, turning away from Daisuke and hurrying after her sister. Just before she disappeared outside, she looked back at him over her shoulder. "I hope you're proud of what you've done to her," she hissed.

Once she was gone, everyone looked at Daisuke in blatant curiosity. He didn't acknowledge them; he just bowed his head. Slowly, everyone started to move again, murmurs building as the class discussed what had just happened.

"I'm not proud," Daisuke whispered to himself. "I'm sorry."

No one heard him.


	22. Chapter 7: November 11

**Chapter 7: November 11**

Things had changed for all of them a week after the play.

Before, Daisuke would arrive early and hang out with friends before the bell rang. They'd invite him out after school, and he'd go whenever he could, though late night activities were often impossible due to Dark's schedule. Now, however, he did not spend any extra time at the school if he could help it, and for very good reason.

The Harada twins were no longer speaking to, looking at, or going near Daisuke at all…unless it was to comment on his callousness, glare at him for daring to still smile, or shoulder him roughly on the way out the door. Everyone in the school knew it was over between the pair, and the way people reacted to the news was beginning to irritate Daisuke just a little.

"Everyone but Saehara is mad at me!" he complained to Satoshi on the way to the teen's apartment to study one afternoon. "Half the guys in the class want to know what on earth I was thinking, dumping 'one of the most popular girls ever', the other half think Riku-san could do better with them and treat me like a disease – and _none_ of the girls will talk to me! Other people fight and break up all the time without anyone blinking an eye, but this time, they're watching _every_ move I make."

Satoshi shrugged. "Niwa, I admit to knowing many things, but the logic behind teenage emotion remains a mystery to me."

"I hate gossip, and I really hate being gossiped about," Daisuke continued without acknowledging Satoshi's comment. "What should I tell everyone?! 'Yeah, I broke it off because Riku-san's actually my cousin, due to the fact that my alter-ego was involved with her grandmother before I was born.' That sounds good, right?"

"Actually, stating that her grandmother was 'involved' before you were born is vaguely redundant, since due to the closeness of you and Harada in age, her grandmother **had** to be alive before you. I would rephrase the statement, personally."

Daisuke was not amused.

That was the other thing that had changed—the amount of time Satoshi and Daisuke spent together had increased drastically. Satoshi was the only one not angry at or confused by Daisuke's actions. Even Saehara was hesitant to side completely with Daisuke, since that would put him in a compromising situation.

"Daisuke, you're my best friend, but…a reporter has to keep his contacts, you know?" he said one day after school. "I'll eat with you, sure, but I'm sitting at the usual table with elder- and younger-Harada."

Naturally, Daisuke wasn't eager to put himself in that position, and that led to a lot of solemn lunches together with Satoshi where no one else could find them.

Also, the research they were doing about the Second Hand of Time required them to work together, and Daisuke threw himself into the research as his other friends began to drift away and his after-school social life faded.

It was becoming increasingly rare to see Niwa Daisuke without the company of Hiwatari Satoshi, and vice versa.

This was a fact that had not escaped notice.

Events came to a head about a week after Daisuke's and Riku's rather spectacular break-up. It was after school, but surprisingly, Satoshi had not left yet. Dark's heist that evening was scheduled relatively early, at 8 pm. Since Satoshi would have to be at the scene a few hours before Dark was supposed to appear, he had deemed it inefficient to go all the way back to his apartment only to have to leave again. Instead, he simply stayed at school and tried to piece the notes the two of them had collected into a coherent form.

Satoshi glanced at his watch as he pulled out another page of Daisuke's scribbled notes. It was almost 5 o'clock. He needed to get going, or he'd be late to the scene. And that would never do.

"Hiwatari-kun?" a voice spoke up out of nowhere. Satoshi did not jump, although the lid on his laptop shut with a much louder snap than usual. He turned.

"Yes, Harada?" It was Harada Riku, looking irritable as usual – or, as usual since Niwa had left her.

Slight shame and pity for the situation tugged at Satoshi for a moment. He hadn't really wanted to hurt anyone with that news…but it had been unavoidable.

"You've been spending lots of time with Niwa-kun lately," she said. He could tell she had tried to keep from sounding accusatory, though she hadn't done a very good job.

"That's correct."

"Why?"

He stood, collecting his laptop and other materials. "We have common interests. Good day, Harada."

Just as he made it to the door, she spoke again. This time, she was obviously annoyed. "Common interests in what? Each other?"

Satoshi stopped dead and turned around. "What?" he said, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

Riku flushed a dull red, but continued. "I've seen the way you stare at him in class. You watch him all the time."

"Even if I do, I don't see how that's relevant," Satoshi said warily. He glanced at his watch. Unless he left in the next 65 seconds, he was going to be late.

Her eyes narrowed. "Just tell me the truth, Hiwatari-kun. Do you know why Daisuke broke up with me? Did you have something to do with that?"

"In a way," Satoshi said vaguely, mind racing.

"Just answer. Yes or no?"

"Yes to both questions, then," Satoshi said simply.

Riku's eyes widened in shock. For a moment, she merely stared at Satoshi. He, in turn, wondered darkly why she was so surprised.

"I knew it," she said finally, sounding more distraught than triumphant. .  
"Congratulations. Goodbye, Harada." With that parting sarcasm, Satoshi exited.

As soon as Riku was out of Satoshi's line of sight, the incident was dismissed to be contemplated later. He had more pressing things to worry about with a suspicious ex-girlfriend with a bad case of wounded pride.

Besides, he had expected someone to ask him about Daisuke's motives for breaking up with Riku sooner or later, since he was the only one talking to the redhead at this point. However, the conclusion Riku had come to was not one he had been expecting.

_Perhaps you didn't expect it, but you don't seem to mind the idea much either, Satoshi-sama,_ Krad commented from the back of his mind. _And you do watch him quite often. I must say, I do not approve of where these thoughts seem to be going._

_So maybe you should stop thinking,_ Satoshi retorted as he kept walking.

Krad ignored the hint. _I don't know why you're spending so much time with him, but I do not like it. What are you planning?_

_The more Niwa likes me, the more Dark is going to trust me—or at least tolerate me. And one day, that familiarity will lead to his downfall,_ Satoshi said blandly, sounding neither excited nor upset about the prospect of catching Dark.

_A devious plan…or a cunning lie,_ Krad mused. _I hope, for your sake, it is not the latter. I will allow this association for now, Satoshi-sama. But remember, you are mine. And I do not share. _

Before Satoshi could form a response, Krad's presence had faded, drifting to a far off corner of his mind. The commander shivered slightly, and it had nothing to do with the brisk autumn wind.

Like he had thought before, he had things much more serious than an angry ex to be concerned about.

XXXXX

When Riku finally came home, Risa was sitting in her room, listening to the live broadcast about Dark's heist on the radio. "Riku!" she squealed when she saw her sister open the bedroom door. "Look! I'm still listening to the news, but I managed to turn the TV off. Maybe I'm finally getting over Dark…san…" She stared at her twin's tear-filled eyes. "Riku? What's wrong?"

Riku began sobbing, and it took a good two hours to get her calmed down. And when she finally managed to get the whole story out coherently and in detail, well…

If you think that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, you should see her sister.

XXXXX

The heist went off completely as expected. The target tonight was an intricately drawn map from before the Cultural Reform. The police surrounded the building, pumped it full of guards, and still Dark had managed to get past. All in all, a fairly normal evening.

But what really made it satisfying for Dark was the incident with the commander.

Upon arriving to the museum, Dark easily avoided the clumsy policemen and their pathetic alarms, stopping his flight only when he arrived outside the display room where the map was kept.

_All right, now, what do you think the commander has planned today?_ he asked Daisuke cheerfully.

_I don't know, but it can't too elaborate. He's been busy doing all that research with me lately,_ Daisuke responded.

Dark rolled his eyes. _Yes, I know. A little too busy for my taste, personally. And you're too nice to him, anyway._

_What are you talking about, Dark?! You can't be **too** nice to someone,_ Daisuke said in surprise. _ Maybe if you tried being nice sometime, you'd know what I mean._

Dark snorted and reached for the handle of the door. He examined it and paused. It was locked securely. **Too** securely. _This is a trap._

_Why do you say that?_

_It's too obvious. There are multiple locks here in order to get my attention, to make me **want** to go through **this** door, since it's a challenge, _Dark mused. _It must be a trap…but it's something the police would try, not him. This isn't subtle enough for him…but maybe he wants me to think that so I'll go through here…but – _

_Dark, _Daisuke interrupted_, if you try to outmaneuver Hiwatari-kun, you'll just end up driving us both insane. Now either open the door or don't, but stop standing around. We'll get caught. _

Again, the thief reached for the handle, but at the last moment pulled away. _Another door, I think._

It took a moment, but he finally noticed a door connecting the room adjacent to his target. He opened the lock without making a single sound, and then slowly eased the door open, just wide enough for him to slip through unnoticed. The scene that greeted him made him grin in satisfaction. _I knew it._

The creepy bastard had taken a page out of Dark's book tonight. A hologram projector had been set up, casting a perfect illusion of the room's balcony and only other exit on a blank wall, while the actual balcony was hidden from view by a screen upon which a display case was drawn in exquisite detail.

Other screens were set up around the walls, and various policemen crouched behind them, all waiting for Dark to come through the main entrance. And there, in the shadows next to the screen hiding the real balcony, stood the commander. He could tell from the slight reflection of light off of those glasses he wore.

A wicked idea came to mind.

_Dark,_ Daisuke could tell something was up. _What are you thinking?_

_You'll see._ As silent as a shadow, Dark glided past the guards, who were still staring at the door. Even though Dark was a boisterous, showy individual, he could still be dead quiet when he wanted to be – good thieves had to be, after all.

Just the policemen were beginning to get a little antsy (Dark's scheduled arrival time was over five minutes ago. He should have made an appearance by now), he made it to his desired position. He was as close to the map as he could be without being seen – and the commander was directly across from him. This was going to be a snap.

_Dark?_

_It'll be funny,_ Dark said in a sing-song tone. The thief paused for a moment, gathering his focus. Then he held up a feather. He hated using magic on a job; it was so much more rewarding to beat them by cleverness alone, but this was the only way to pull the trick effectively. With a toss of the feather and a gesture, a sudden burst of wind blew through the room and the main door flew open.

"Freeze!" thirty voices shouted at once…and then silence fell. Because Dark was not standing in the doorway as expected. And the map was gone.

"Where is he?" someone shouted.

Dark was currently standing in the shadows next to the commander. When the door had flown open, Hiwatari had looked away from the map long enough for Dark to dart out from his hiding place, snatch his prize, and continue across the room. However, the brush of air from Dark's momentum caught the commander's attention, and he whirled back around.

Dark caught him by the shoulders as he turned and pulled him close. "You know, you're slipping up if you can't see what's right in front of you, Commander," the thief whispered in the boy's ear, grinning delightedly when Hiwatari couldn't quite contain a gasp of surprise. "Maybe you should try opening your eyes."

With that, Dark plucked the commander's glasses off his nose and soared off the balcony, purposely knocking the screen over on his way out. "Good night, all!" he called.

As he coasted through the night air, heading home, Daisuke was having a minor panic attack. _Dark! What was that for?!_

_Oh, come on, Daisuke. It was funny. _

_No, it wasn't! _

_I was being nice._

Daisuke had trouble coming up with a response to that. _Nice? You call that **nice**?_

_Well, I didn't hurt him, no one was looking, so I didn't embarrass him in front of anyone, and I didn't even call him creepy bastard…so, yes, I was being nice. _

_Daaaaark!_

_Ahh, calm down. It'll be fine once you return them. _

_Once** I** return them?! _Daisuke snapped. _**You** stole them!_

Dark grinned. _Do you want me to give 'em back? I can, if you insist._

There was a brief moment of silence as Daisuke envisioned the chaos that would ensure if such an event occurred. _On second thought, I'll take care of it. _

_I thought you might. _

Daisuke sighed in reluctant defeat, and the rest of the trip home passed in companionable silence.


	23. Chapter 8: November 12

**Chapter 8: November 12**

Daisuke was waiting for Satoshi when he arrived at school the next day. "Hiwatari-kun!" he called, waving a hand.

Satoshi approached him coolly. "Yes, Niwa?"

He looked…different without his glasses, and Daisuke noted the various admiring glances thrown in their direction by a group of girls passing by. He also caught a few of their whispers.

"Wow…so cute!"

"Do you really think so?"

"Just look, it's so obvious."

"I agree. Something's definitely different."

_I don't know what is wrong with those girls… _Dark commented._ He's not **that** amazing. _

_Well,_ Daisuke tried to explain, _he's mysterious, and girls like that. Besides, Hiwatari-kun isn't exactly ugly, you know._

Dark didn't respond for a moment. _I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, _he said at last.

_What? _

"Niwa?" Satoshi snapped his fingers in front of Daisuke's nose, catching his attention. "If you needed to speak with me so urgently that you had to yell my name halfway across the school, you could at least say something."

"Oh, sorry." Daisuke reached into his bag and pulled out the pair of glasses. "Here you go."

Satoshi said nothing and merely accepted the eyewear with a faint glare.

Daisuke shrugged. "He was in a really weird mood last night…"

"Obviously" was all Satoshi said in response.

After an odd moment of silence, Daisuke glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. We should head to class." Satoshi inclined his head in silent agreement, and the pair headed off toward the gate.

As they walked, Daisuke noticed that the number of people staring at him had increased dramatically from yesterday. "Great," he murmured aside to Satoshi. "People from other classes have finally heard about Riku-san and me."

Satoshi glanced around and shrugged slightly. "Does it actually matter, since you don't know any of them?" he pointed out.

"Maybe not, but it still bugs me some." One girl pointed at them and giggled into the ear of the friend standing next to her. "Don't they have better things to gossip about?"

"You could ask and find out," Satoshi suggested dryly. He reached the door of the classroom first and, holding it open, gestured for Daisuke to precede him.

"I don't want to know that badly," Daisuke told him and strode into the classroom.

As one, the entire class looked up, saw him and Satoshi standing in the doorway, and abruptly shut up. One could hear a pin drop. Everyone was staring, unabashed.

_Wow,_ Dark commented. _I'm impressed. Do you know how long it took before my reputation got me that kind of response? _

_Um…_ Daisuke tried. He really did. But he just couldn't stop the deep red flush from creeping across his face as he hurried toward his seat. Satoshi, on the other hand, was as cool and collected as ever, even though everyone seemed to be watching him as well. And still no one was saying anything.

_Okay, now this is beginning to get creepy, _Dark murmured. _What did you do?_

_I don't know,_ Daisuke responded, sinking into his seat. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could feel the eyes boring into the back of his head. Irritated, and still a little embarrassed, he turned in his seat and tried to glare at the class, even though he really wanted to just crawl inside his desk and never come out.

Apparently, he managed to scare some of them, because they immediately turned guiltily away and began chatting again…though the talking seemed to be louder than earlier. And odd glances were still being thrown in his direction.

It was going to be a just wonderful day. He could tell.

XXXXX

When the class was dismissed for lunch, Daisuke fiddled with his bag, pointedly not making eye contact with anyone. On one hand, he wanted to be left alone…on the other, being left alone was a remarkably lonely place to be.

Someone gently touched his shoulder. Hope flared in Daisuke's chest, and he looked up, wondering who dared to come speak to him.

It was just Hiwatari-kun. Not that he was bad or anything…but Daisuke was beginning to miss his other friends, all of whom had all been walking on eggshells around him lately. He missed the way it was before. When he had been blissfully ignorant…with Riku-san…

"Niwa?" Satoshi said softly. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," he responded after a moment. "I was just…wondering what life would be like if none of this had happened."

Satoshi's hand tightened on his shoulder. For a moment, Daisuke saw regret in his friend's eyes. "I know it may not mean much," he told Daisuke, "but I am truly sorry."

"I know." Nothing was said for a beat. Then Daisuke straightened in his seat, and Satoshi took a step back, moving his hand away so the redhead could stand. "But thank you for saying so. It means a lot to me."

Daisuke started for the door, his usual optimism beginning to remerge. "But, all in all, I think it's been for the best. I mean, Riku-san and I had only been together for a little bit. Better to realize now, when we were still getting to know each other, than later on, in a more serious relationship."

Satoshi made a noncommittal noise.

"I know she hurts now, but Riku-san will get over it soon and start dating again. And…" Daisuke paused to consider his next words. "I think I'm okay, too. It's still weird, the whole things about Dark and the twins, but I've adjusted." He glanced at Satoshi. "What about – ACK!"

Saehara had appeared out of nowhere, leaping upon Daisuke and sending him tumbling to the ground. Tackles like this were a fairly normal occurrence, but usually Saehara would be babbling excitedly about Dark and new leads…not sobbing.

"I'm so sorry!" he wailed.

"Uh?" Daisuke was confused. "Saehara? What do you mean?"

"This is all my fault!" Utterly distraught, he wiped his nose on Daisuke's shirt sleeve. "I'm responsible!"

"For what?" Bewildered, Daisuke looked to Satoshi for help.

"I'll be on the roof," Satoshi told him. No assistance from that corner today.

_He left real fast. Coward, _Dark judged.

Daisuke watched helplessly as Satoshi walked down the hall. At the stairwell, he glanced back, a carefully blank expression on his face. "Feel free to join me whenever you're done, Niwa-kun."

The dramatic wails stopped abruptly. Saehara looked at Daisuke suspiciously. "'Niwa-kun?' When did he start calling you Niwa-kun? He doesn't call anyone 'kun!' In fact, he doesn't **talk** to anyone! And yet, he calls you Niwa-**kun**!"

"So?" Daisuke asked, completely lost.

Saehara started wailing again, louder this time. "Aaah! I never thought it would come to this! If only I hadn't interfered!"

"Saehara!" Daisuke snapped in frustration. "What are you talking about?!"

The would-be reporter took a deep breath. "About elder-Harada and you and—"

"Wait," Daisuke interrupted. "Saehara, if you even **suspect** that my breakup with Riku-san was your fault, you're mistaken."

"What?" Saehara blinked at him. "Oh, no, Daisuke. The idiocy that was you breaking up with elder-Harada was all you."

"Then what on earth do you mean?"

Saehara sniffled theatrically. "If only we'd never performed that stupid play."

"It wasn't a stupid play," Daisuke said defensively. "It was a story that needed to be told."

"Of course you would say that!" Saehara cried. "Since it's led to this…"

"**To what**?!" Daisuke yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

Saehara looked momentarily shocked. "Well, to you and him…and **you**!"

The light bulb above Daisuke's head slowly began to glow. "Wait…You mean Hiwatari-kun? And **me**?!"

_EWWWWWWWWW!!!! _Dark sounded outraged.

"You think we're **together**?!" Daisuke was almost as outraged. "We're just friends! Why would you think that?"

"You can't hide it! It's obvious, Daisuke. You two are always together, always talking."

"Hiwatari-kun's talked to me for months, and you've never said stuff like this before," Daisuke protested angrily.

"Oh, we've said it, you just haven't been listening!" Saehara shot back.

Daisuke eyes widened as the school's behavior suddenly made sense. "Is this why everyone was whispering this morning?!"

Saehara rolled his eyes. "Come on, Daisuke. You two walked in together. One of the girls in the other class said she saw you give Hiwatari his glasses." His eyes narrowed. "Why you would have Hiwatari's glasses?"

Daisuke paused, trying frantically to think of a reason. 'Because Dark stole them and I had to give them back' wasn't going to cut it. "Ummm…"

"Aha!"

"No! No 'aha!'" Daisuke protested, beginning to flush against his will. "It's not what you're thinking, **whatever** you're thinking! He just left them at my house—" The redhead winced, wishing he could take those words back.

"Your **house**?!"

"NO!" Daisuke stopped, took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. "We were studying. We're not together. We're not dating—" His composure abruptly broke down again. "Why would you **think** we're dating?!"

Saehara folded his arms and struck a haughty pose. "I heard."

"FROM WHO?"

"A reporter never reveals his sources," Saehara said primly.

Daisuke ran his hand through his hair in frustration, making it even spikier. "Saehara, I need to know."

"Why? So you can shut up whoever's been telling the truth?"

Daisuke's eyes flashed. "No! It's just a dumb rumor, probably started out of spite by one of Riku-san's friends. "

Saehara shrugged. "Well, maybe, since younger-Harada was the one who told me…"

"See?" Daisuke said triumphantly.

"But she heard it from someone else."

"Who?" Daisuke asked with forced patience.

Saehara grinned smugly. "Hiwatari."

Daisuke froze in shock.

_That creepy bastard!_ Dark said indignantly. _What the hell is he playing at?_

"H-Hiwatari-kun said that?" Daisuke asked weakly.

"Yeah, so stop trying to hide it, Daisuke. We all know," Saehara stated confidently.

"I…I…" the redhead stuttered.

"And that's why it's my fault!" Saehara broke into fresh melodramatic wails. "If I hadn't pushed you two together, made you do that love scene, you never would have realized your true feelings!"

"I need to go," Daisuke said distantly.

_True feelings? True feelings of hatred, maybe. _

Daisuke turned and fled down the hall, leaving Saehara sniffling behind him.

Dark spoke with calm menace. _I think we need to have a talk with Honorable Commander Hiwatari._


	24. Chapter 9: November 12

**Chapter 9: November 12**

Daisuke opened the door to the roof, and frowned at Satoshi.

"Did you put Saehara back together?" the commander asked blandly.

"Did you really say that?" Daisuke snapped, ignoring the other boy's question.

Satoshi blinked up at him. "Say what, Niwa?"

For a moment, Daisuke almost brushed the entire thing off as an intricate lie thought up by Saehara for his own entertainment. But, as horribly insulting as it sounded, Daisuke truthfully doubted that the reporter could come up with something so elaborate.

Satoshi, on the other hand…

"What were you thinking?!" Daisuke demanded angrily.

"Just now? That you seemed to be unusually distressed about something," he replied calmly.

"No! When you spoke to Harada-san!"

"Which one?"

"Risa!"

Satoshi shrugged. "I haven't talked to her in a while."

Daisuke was thrown. Maybe Saehara **was** getting subtler. "But—"

Satoshi continued. "Harada Riku, on the other hand, I spoke to the other day."

The confused frustration was abruptly rekindled. "About what?"

"You," came the cool response.

"And?" Daisuke pressed.

"Her."

"**And**?" he asked dangerously.

Satoshi was not intimidated. "And what, Niwa?"

"What did you say to Riku-san?"

Satoshi sighed. "She wanted to know if I knew why you broke up with her. I said yes."

Daisuke sighed. While he wished she could have asked him, he understood why she wouldn't. "But why did she ask you?"

"Because I've been spending more time with you than anyone else," Satoshi responded.

"That's it?" Daisuke folded his arms, even more confused.

"Not quite. She also wanted to know if I had had anything to do with your break-up."

"Well, what did you tell her?"

The commander shrugged again. "Again, I said yes."

_He did **what**?!_ Dark gasped.

The world spun slightly, and Daisuke felt like he was about to faint. "Don't you realize what that sounds like?"

"What?"

"That made it sound like…well... You know…."

Satoshi stared at him impassively. "It sounded like what, Niwa?"

_My god…he's **playing** with you_, Dark observed with disbelief and mounting interest. _He knows what you're talking about, but wants to hear you say it._

"It just sounds like I broke up with Riku for you, and that well…you… and I…" Daisuke trailed off, flushing.

Satoshi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh."

Daisuke noticed that Hiwatari was in no way surprised, and that a glint of laughter was dancing in his ice-blue eyes.

_Well, well,_ Dark noted with sardonic amusement, _the commander has a sense of humor, after all._

Comprehension dawned in the redhead.

"You knew what would happen!" he accused.

"I thought it might," the teen admitted.

"Why? Why did you do that? Do you **want** people to think we're dating?" Daisuke spluttered.

Satoshi shrugged and stood up as the bell rang. "Niwa, my clan and yours have fought for centuries."

"Yeah, but **we** don't—" Daisuke broke off as Satoshi had to visibly hold back a smirk. "You're doing this because of the whole stupid clan thing?! I thought we both had gotten past that!"

"A few generations ago, the Hikari wanted to kill Niwa on sight. I think a little harassment is an improvement over death threats, don't you?" Satoshi asked calmly, and started toward the stairs. He paused, and looked back at the redhead. "Besides, Niwa, Harada Riku had already come to that conclusion. It's better to let her believe this lie than for her to keep looking for the truth."

_I hate to say it, but he has a point, _Dark admitted.

"Oh." Daisuke was silent for a moment, then he looked at the older teen reproachfully. "Well, you could have told me about it, you know!"

Satoshi smiled faintly and opened the fire door. "Perhaps. But it was more interesting to let you find out on your own."

_Yeah, 'cause when you blush, you turn the exact same shade as your hair,_ Dark added helpfully, his usual cheerful attitude restored.

Daisuke sighed deeply as he followed Satoshi down the stairs. _Maybe Hiwatari-kun's got a point. Maybe teasing is a better way to deal with the whole feud thing. What do you think?_

_Sure. And the first thing we do to tease him: Let's give **him** giardiasis. Better yet, the Black Plague!_

Daisuke sighed again.

As Satoshi disappeared down the hall, a gaggle of girls appeared out of nowhere with a determined, yet somehow ominous speed that made Dark murmur in admiration and Daisuke quiver in apprehension.

"So, Niwa-kun, tell us. Is Hiwatari-kun warm and loving beneath the icy exterior?"

Daisuke felt himself flush for what had to be the fourth time that day. "NO! I mean, uh, we're not…"

The girls nudged each other knowingly.

Daisuke gave up and fled down the hall, the giggles of the girls ringing in his ears.

_Why is my life so screwed up?_ he wailed internally.

_Because, my friend, you're just lucky that way,_ Dark said solemnly before he dissolved in laughter.

XXXXX

The day was finally over, and Daisuke was personally ready to run from the school and never look back. The stares had continued, and more than one note had landed on his desk from the girls in the classroom, asking about Satoshi. Daisuke noted sullenly that no one was bugging Hiwatari about any of this.

He shoved his things into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed out of the room. Usually, he waited for Satoshi, but today, he wasn't overly thrilled with the idea, since everyone would be watching.

"Niwa!" A girl's voice coming from the end of the hall caught his attention, and he turned. It was an older classmate, one of the girls who had followed Satoshi around endlessly. She did not look pleased.

"Are you really together with Hiwatari-kun?" she asked bluntly.

At this point, he was too tired to even blush. But he still stuttered. "W-well, I – "

"How could you?!" the girl asked heatedly. "Don't you understand what he meant to us?"

"Give it up, Aoi," another girl nearby interrupted. "Hiwatari-kun never looked at any of us even once. And remember what he said, that one day? 'I don't have time for girls.'" She giggled. "Obviously, he has time for boys, though."

**Now** Daisuke blushed. "Um…"

The girl Aoi simply sniffled and flounced down the hall. The others smiled at him. "Have you kissed him yet?" one asked boldly.

Daisuke was entirely unable to deal with that kind of questioning. "Right! Bye!" Embarrassed, he spun on his heel and took an entire one step toward the exit before running into Riku. She stumbled back and stared at him.

The entire world froze for a moment as they looked at each other.

"Riku-san…" Daisuke said faintly.

Her face wrinkled in a kind of righteous anger, and before he could do or say anything, she slapped him firmly.

"Oh, that **had** to hurt!" Daisuke thought he heard Saehara say somewhere in the distance. He stared at Riku in shock.

"What—?"

"You could have told me!" she said shrilly. Then she spun on her heel and stomped down the hall.

He blinked after her, reaching up to rub the red spot on his cheek in a faint daze. Saehara and some of the others came out the classroom, staring and whispering, obviously curious about what had just transpired, but Daisuke wasn't really paying attention to them.

_Let her go, Daisuke. You can't deal with her in this mood._

And in the stupidest move of his life, Daisuke ran after her. "Riku-san!" he called desperately. He banged through the outside door and saw her disappearing into one of the secluded areas of the courtyard. "Riku-san!"  
She ignored him and kept going.

_Daisuke, seriously, this a bad, BAD idea._

_I can't just let her think this! _ Daisuke ran after her.

Catching up at last, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Riku-san—"

She whirled on him, eyes blazing. "You just **can't** let it go, can you?!"

It began to dawn on Daisuke that Dark may have been correct. He hastily dropped his hand back to his side. "Look, Riku-san," he began.

"What makes you think I want to talk to you? What makes you think I want to **see** you at all? Do you have any idea how **humiliated** I am?"

"It's not what you think—"

"Oh, oh, it's not?" Riku took a step forward and pointed a finger angrily at him. "Let me tell you what I think. I think that I was stupid not to have seen it earlier."

"Seen what?"

"You! And Hiwatari! I should have known! All the clues were there! There were hundreds of hints!"

"Riku-san—" he pleaded.

She took another step forward, and Daisuke backed up. "First of all, there was that incident in the freezer. How **did** you get locked in a freezer with Hiwatari anyway?!"

"I was helping him carry things," he protested.

"Oh, sure!" she said sarcastically. "It took you **hours** to carry things!"

"We got locked in!"

"And then it took you **hours** to get out!"

Daisuke stared at her blankly. "Riku-san, it took the freezer **blowing up** to get somebody's attention to let us out!"

"And then the very first thing you said when you woke up, in **my arms**, mind you, was 'how's Hiwatari-kun?'"

"The freezer just **blew up**!" he said incredulously. "Of course I was worried!"

"And then there was the time at the pool…" she continued relentlessly, taking another step forward.

Daisuke flushed and stepped back. "That wasn't my fault. I was drowning."

"What do you mean you were **drowning**?! You can swim!"

"Well, um…"

"Exactly!" She continued to approach. "And then, at the beach, Hiwatari was hovering over you, digging you out of the sand. How sweet." The last words dripped with venom. "And he didn't even deny it then."

"He—"

"I don't know how you had the **audacity** to ask me out after that," she snapped.

"But that was—"

Riku took another step forward.

Daisuke backed into a tree trunk. _Uh-oh._ He sidestepped around it, but Riku kept coming.

"And then Risa, my own sister, the one who's **so** preoccupied with Dark that she doesn't pay attention to anything else, warned me on the way to play practice one day that Hiwatari would take you if I wasn't careful."

"She did?" Daisuke paused momentarily in his retreat and blinked at her.

"And let's not forget that one day when you were out sick!" Riku hissed vindictively.

"What did I do when I was sick?" Daisuke asked in miserable confusion.

"I came over to check on you after school. But no, I was too late. Hiwatari was already there. He was bent over you, right in your face. And you didn't do a **thing**."

Daisuke remembered now. "I was sick! He was there because he was asking me about Mio Hio."

Riku scoffed. "Why would Hiwatari care about Mio Hio, unless it was as a competing love interest!"

"Uh…" He actually wasn't sure on that one.  
"And then there's been everything that's happened over the past couple weeks. You and Hiwatari in the play, as **lovers**, nonetheless, and you and Hiwatari working on that mysterious 'project' together." She put her hands on her hips. "Have you even noticed that you're the only person he talks to?"

"No, that's not true," Daisuke said instantly.

"Really?" She took another step forward. "Then who else does he talk to?"

Daisuke took a step back…and hit a brick wall. His mind went blank as he had a brief moment of panic.

"Well? Come on, who **else** does he talk to?"

"Uh…" He had to think for a second. "Saehara!"

Riku laughed shortly. "He doesn't talk to Saehara, he **deals** with Saehara."

"Doesn't everyone 'deal' with Saehara?" he asked hesitantly, trying to make her laugh a little and disrupt the flow of her anger.

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you think this is funny?"

"No!" Daisuke denied immediately. "Look, I know circumstances may have made things seem…uh, interesting, but it's not what it looks like—"

"You know what it looks like, Niwa?" she said bitterly. "It looks like you can't make up your mind."

"What?" Daisuke asked, totally thrown.

"First, you tried to date Risa, the most feminine girl in the school. When that didn't work out, you said 'hmm, most feminine didn't work. Let's try least feminine—'" she pointed at herself. "'Riku!'"

Daisuke knew that anything he said at this point would be wrong, but he tried anyway. "Riku-san, that's not why—"

"But no! That didn't work for you either! So let's forget about feminine all together and try for masculine instead!"

Daisuke's jaw dropped. "Riku-san!"

Riku tossed her head. "Well, I guess I shouldn't feel too bad, since you went for the most feminine **guy** in school."

Daisuke gaped at her in disbelief, unable to reconcile his sweet, innocent Riku-san with the red-haired hellion in front of him. "Th—that's not true!"

"You're right; it's not!" she spat. "He's not the most feminine guy in school. **You** are!"

_Whoa. _

Daisuke jerked back as though she'd slapped him again.

Riku looked slightly astonished at what she had said, but her face hardened after a moment and she stomped away without another word.

_Wow, Daisuke, you sure know how to bring out the best in people._

Daisuke didn't answer, but just watched as the red-headed girl stalked away.

"Niwa," came a soft voice from behind him. He glanced over; it was Hiwatari, looking as calm as ever.

"Let's go," he said.

Daisuke turned in a daze, still in shock. Satoshi fell into step beside him as the two walked through the courtyard and into the street.

The redhead turned and looked sideways at the teen next to him. Satoshi glanced back at him in a sort of pitying concern and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Um…how many people do you think heard that?" he asked in a small voice.

Satoshi looked at him in a careful, appraising way.

Daisuke groaned. "Everybody, huh?"

"Niwa, you should go home," Satoshi said calmly. "Don't worry about research tonight."

Daisuke tried very hard not to show his relief. "Are you sure?"

Satoshi nodded, unspoken sympathy in his eyes. "Try to get some rest. It'll be more peaceful than usual, since Dark doesn't have anything scheduled for tonight."

"Yeah."

With that, Satoshi walked away toward his apartment. Daisuke continued home, thinking grimly about the events of the past hour. If the whole school had turned against him simply because he dumped Riku-san, what were they going to do now that she had slapped him? Had screamed at him?

And now the school thought that he and Hiwatari-kun were dating!

_If everybody was mad at me before, what are they going to do now? _he sighed, too emotionally exhausted to even care that much._ What are they going to say about me apparently dating a guy?_

_Don't worry about it,_ Dark advised sympathetically. _You can't do anything to change what people think now, and you'll find out soon enough Monday. Go home and get some sleep, Daisuke. Besides, it doesn't really matter what they think._

_Why not?_ Daisuke asked dully.

_Because you've got me and I'm a billion times funnier, better, and more interesting than they are!_

Daisuke had to smile at that, however briefly, and did as Dark advised. He went home and went to bed.


	25. Chapter 10: November 14

**Chapter 10: November 14**

_Come on, Daisuke, be a man! They're not going to do anything **really** horrible._

Daisuke sighed as he slowly walked towards the school entrance. _Did I ever tell you how reassuring you are?_

_Well, it's not like they will. And you can take a little teasing. You came through Saturday just fine, _Dark said bracingly. _And as much as I'd usually be the first one to propose an exciting day of hooky, if Emiko finds out, she'd kill you and that would be bad._

_Yeah, it would._

_A shame too, _Dark mused. _It's a lovely day, just screams…shit._

Daisuke frowned. _It screams **what**?_

_Ex-girlfriend-slash-cousin at three o'clock!_

He turned to see Riku walking through courtyard with her sister.

The red-haired twin saw him. Her eyes narrowed.

With a most undignified squeak, Daisuke fled into the building.

_Way to be a man, Daisuke._

_Shut up. You'd do the exact same thing after Saturday, _Daisuke snapped.

Dark considered this. _You're probably right,_ he said finally.

_Really?_ Daisuke was gratified by the admission. _Thanks._

He walked towards his classroom, feeling a little bit better. The good feeling soon faded away, however, being replaced by a sense of something being off…but he wasn't sure what.

_I'll tell you what, genius; no one is staring at you._

There was a pause as Daisuke considered this. He cast a quick look around. No one was pointing at him. No conversations got softer as he walked by. No one flinched when their eyes met Daisuke's and quickly turned away. _You're right!_

_Of course I'm right. _ Dark sounded affronted that Daisuke had even thought about doubting his conclusion.

_That's weird_, Daisuke thought, a frown creasing his forehead. _I thought there would be even more pointing and staring._

_Well, I sincerely hope you're not complaining._

_Oh, no, it's just…weird._

_Speaking of, there's the creepy bastard._

Daisuke looked up as he entered the classroom. Hiwatari-kun was already in his seat, reading something.

"Hey, Daisuke!" The redhead looked up in shock as Saehara came bounding over with Masahiro. Saehara wrapped an arm around his neck. "Didja hear about Dark's latest heist? They say he's gonna try and steal this tiara that's hundreds of years old tonight."

Daisuke coughed. "Can't…breathe," he gasped.

Saehara let go of him with a grin and bounced backwards. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, I'm gonna go take pictures. You wanna come and help?"

Daisuke rubbed his throat as he stared up at his friend. "So you're talking to me now?"

Masahiro had the grace to look embarrassed, but Saehara just grinned wider as he raised his hand to the back of his head nervously. "Well, it's not really any of my business who you hang out with, so just forget everything I said, okay?" he said brightly.

Daisuke stared at the two, but was spared from having to say anything by the bell ringing.

_You know, Daisuke, you were right._

_About what?_ Daisuke asked absently as he pulled his notebook out of his bag.

_That's really weird._

_Oh, well. At least they stopped treating me like I had the plague. _

_Yeah. It was only a little bit of giardiasis, anyway._

Daisuke sighed and attempted to pay attention to the lecture.

XXXXX

At lunchtime, Satoshi expected Daisuke to spend the period with Saehara and the others, since relations had apparently vastly improved since Saturday. To his surprise, however, the redhead waved his friends off and bounded up the stairwell to join him on the roof.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" he chided as he plopped down next to Satoshi.

He shrugged. "I thought you would eat with your friends today."

Daisuke looked taken aback. "You're my friend, too," he pointed out.

"To some degree, but your other friends are talking to you now."

"Yeah, it's really weird!" Daisuke told him. "All of a sudden, it's like the past week didn't happen."

"They know why you broke up with Harada now," Satoshi said simply.

Daisuke looked blank for a moment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Before, you had ended your relationship with her without a reason. She was the wounded party, and the school closed ranks behind her. You were the villain."

"I'm not a villain," Daisuke protested. "I couldn't tell her."

"Yes, but they didn't know that." Satoshi unwrapped his meat bun. "And now the school has a reason for your breakup, or at least they think they do, and Harada has sufficiently chastised you. Thus, the mystery is over and the explanation wasn't anything overly interesting or terrible. Now it is safe to talk to you again without offending one of the most popular girls in school. She may be upset now, but she'll get over it eventually."

Daisuke was silent for a long moment. "That doesn't make any sense."

"No, not really," Satoshi agreed. "But remember, this is middle school. It's not supposed to make sense."

"But you talked to me the whole time," Daisuke said, looking confused.

"What makes you think I care about middle-school cliques and intrigues?"

"Oh. Thanks?"

Satoshi shrugged, then smiled humorlessly. "Apparently we have a special relationship."

"Yeah, that's the other thing," Daisuke said, running his hand through his hair. "What are we going to do? Everyone thinks we're dating."

Deep inside, Satoshi found the school's assumption amusing. In addition, it irritated Krad, which amused Satoshi more. "Yes, I know."

"And yet, they're treating me **better**." Daisuke sounded utterly frustrated. "I thought they would be laughing!"

A frown crossed Satoshi's face. "Laughing at what?"

"Well…you know, you and me…together…" Daisuke trailed off.

Satoshi was slightly miffed. He disliked the idea of being laughed at…probably because Krad did it so very often. "Of course they can't laugh, Niwa. It wouldn't be politically correct," he said sourly. "After all, in this day and age, it's considered prejudiced to deride people for being **gay**."

Daisuke flinched. "Right…"

"Besides, they're not picking on you anymore," Satoshi continued. "I would've thought you'd be pleased."

"I am happy!" Daisuke protested. "Now! But as soon as they find out we're **not** dating, I'll be in even more trouble!"

"And then the twins won't leave you alone until you tell them the truth," Satoshi agreed thoughtfully. He hadn't really taken that into account when he had led Riku to believe that her assumption was correct.

Daisuke slowly banged his head against the wall. "I am so screwed!" he wailed.

A solution suddenly presented itself in Satoshi's mind. He knew it was a bad idea, a very bad idea…but he voiced it anyway. "Just make it so they don't find out. Not for a while."

Miserably, Daisuke turned to look at him. "How?"

Satoshi sighed. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'neither confirm nor deny?'"

The redhead straightened and looked at him hard. "You mean…pretend that we're…you know—" He vaguely waved his hand between himself and Satoshi.

Satoshi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Not even that. Just continue acting as we've acted for the past week. People will see what they want to see, and we just won't say anything about it."

Daisuke looked thoughtfully hopeful. "Would that work?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't," Satoshi told him.

"Dark thinks it's a bad idea."

"I know it's a bad idea," Satoshi agreed. "But unless you want to tell the twins the truth…"

Daisuke shook his head. "Not really. Not now." He looked up at Satoshi timidly. "Y-you don't mind?"

"Again, Niwa…why would I care what the other people here think of me?"

"Thanks," Daisuke offered with a sheepish grin.

"It's fine," Satoshi said offhandedly, standing and brushing nonexistent crumbs off his pants. He turned to walk toward the stairs, then glanced back at the redhead. "Just don't tell your mother."

Daisuke looked horrified.

As Satoshi headed down to class, he couldn't help the small smile. It wasn't that he enjoyed making Niwa panic like that, it was just…so satisfying.

_And that, Satoshi-sama, is exactly why you're a Hikari._

The satisfaction faded. _I don't want your opinion. _

_I'm giving it to you anyway._ A sudden pain rose in Satoshi's skull, signifying Krad's anger. _What do you think you are doing, forging this 'alliance' with the Niwa? It's ridiculous!_

_I take all opportunities when they present themselves, _Satoshi told his curse coldly. _I told you before, closeness to Niwa will lead to familiarity to Dark…and that will give me the chance to win._

_Now I know that you are lying, because you don't take all your opportunities, Satoshi-sama. You've had plenty of chances to get the Niwa, and they've all slipped by. _Krad's tone became persuasive. _Besides…you have me. _

_You can't do anything._

_I could kill them, _Krad corrected. _Stop fighting; let me out, and I'll kill them for you eventually. _

Satoshi glanced around the hallway, which was filled with students. _And how many innocents would die between you and Dark? _

_What do they matter to such as us?_

Satoshi's mouth tightened. _And that is exactly why you're going to have to fight me if you ever want out._


	26. Chapter 11: November 17

ASN: Sorry for the delay in posting. One of our friends had a baby and we went to visit.

AN: Well, we TRIED to visit. It would have been nice if we actually got to see her. Has anyone else noticed that when doctors walk really fast, their coats fly out behind them? Kind of like a superhero's cape?

ASN: One of my med-student friends said that they do it that way on purpose. But to get back to the story…

AN: We broke 100 reviews!

ASN: Thanks to all our loyal readers and reviewers.

AN: It means a lot to us to get your feedback.

ASN: So, without further delay, your regularly scheduled Daisuke torture…

**Chapter 11: November 17**

Daisuke walked through the door one rainy evening after a few hours research with Satoshi. "I'm home!" he yelled, dropping his school bag on the floor.

_Careful, Daisuke. Remember the time you dropped your bag on the floor and it fell through the false tile six meters into that pit of water?_

_Why do you think I do it?_ Daisuke muttered. _Better it than me._

_That's not what you said when your history essay was soaked beyond repair._

Before Daisuke could think of a suitable retort, he heard a click. "Uh-oh."

_Incoming!_

A small band of remote control robots came around the corner. They were less than a meter high, but they each bearing a remarkably-realistic looking gun.

_Shit, Daisuke, I think your mom's mad at you again._

_She wouldn't try to kill me,_ Daisuke protested even as he readied himself to jump.

And then they opened fire. Five high-speed balls came flying towards Daisuke, who dodged. They splattered onto the back of the front door, leaving five bright blue splotches of paint.

_Paint ball guns?!_ Daisuke said incredulously as he dodged the next volley and leapt over the robots.

_Oooh… _Dark was enthralled. _I want one._

_No._

To Daisuke's surprise, the little band of robots turned and began firing at his back as he fled down the hallway.

_They're even motion-activated! D'ya think if I asked nicely your mom would let me keep the blue one?_

_No!_ Daisuke gasped, throwing himself down on his stomach. Paint balls whizzed over his head as he slid across the polished wood.

_Aw, come on,_ the thief whined. _I wanna give it to the Honorable Commander._

_**NO**!_

The redhead lunged through the door to the living room, slamming the door shut behind him and leaning against it. He could feel the impact of paintballs hitting the wood, but he paid no attention to them. His entire being was focused on the samurai in the middle of the living room.

_Pretty armor,_ Dark commented. _I want one of those too!_

_Dark…_

_Actually, wait_, the thief paused in contemplation. _That looks kinda familiar…_

And then the samurai pulled a wooden sword from behind his back and brought it whistling towards Daisuke's head.

"AHH!" The teen dove through the figure's legs and bolted for the kitchen door.

"Daisuke!"

He stopped when the samurai called out and cautiously turned around. The samurai lifted the ancient helmet off his head to reveal Niwa Daiki.

"Jii-chan? What were you doing?!"

"Helping you practice," the old man said cheerfully.

"But…but…why?!" Daisuke sputtered, gesturing at the samurai armor.

Daiki smiled. "Because you have to be ready for anything!"

"Including samurai?" the redhead asked dubiously.

Daiki poked at the armor. "Well, this is a Hikari piece, so you never know," he finished wisely.

"That's Hikari?"

_I knew it looked familiar!_ Dark said triumphantly.

"Jii-chan!" Daisuke's eyes were wide. "You should be more careful. How do you know that's safe? It might, you know, eat you or something."

The old man shrugged. "Well, I appear to still have my soul, so it must be okay."

Daisuke frowned. "That doesn't mean you should be playing with it," he lectured.

"Why? We let you play with the art downstairs all the time when you were young."

The teen stopped mid-rant and stared at his grandfather. "You did?"

"Of course," the man said cheerfully. "And you turned out fine, so it must be safe."

"You mean you didn't **know**?!"

"But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Daiki continued blithely. "How's school?"

Daisuke blinked. "What?"

"How's school?" he repeated.

"Uhhh, fine."

"Are the twins still mad at you?" the old man inquired.

"Yeah…how did you know about that?"

"We have our ways," the old man said mysteriously. "So they're still mad at you, but school's okay?"

"Yeah, everyone else is talking to me again," Daisuke said, frowning. "What 'ways?'"

"Nothing you need to know about," Daiki replied calmly. "Why did everyone suddenly start talking to you again?"

"Well…they moved on to other, more interesting rumors," Daisuke told him, entirely truthfully. "And of course I need to know."

"No you don't." The old man waved cheerfully as he headed towards the basement. "I'm going to go put this back before Emiko sees it."

"Before I see what?" Emiko asked as she walked into the room. She caught sight of her father, and her eyes narrowed. "Dad…"

Daisuke took the opportunity to flee upstairs to his room.

_Daiki still moves pretty quick for being as old as he is,_ Dark said admiringly.

The teen sighed as he trudged up the last stairs. _At least my family can't possibly get any weirder. _Daisuke opened the door.

One of Daisuke's old model airplanes was sitting in the middle of the floor, With crouched gleefully on top if it. Attached to the plane was a small rope. Attached to the rope was Towa in her bird form, madly flapping her wings, trying to get the plane off of the ground. With heard the door open and turned to look at Daisuke. "Kyuu!" he said excitedly.

Daisuke closed the door. _I think…I'm going to go back downstairs,_ he said carefully.

Dark sounded a trifle disconcerted as well. _Yeah…that might be a good idea._


	27. Chapter 12: November 18

**Chapter 12: November 18**

An autumn sun shone a bright crimson as it began set late the next afternoon, creating a sunset of striking beauty. It was a truly impressive, uplifting sight that would strike any artist's heart with inspiration.

Unfortunately, since Satoshi's archives were in a windowless room, Daisuke didn't see it.

Daisuke turned another page and wiggled in his chair.

_It's a hard-back wooden chair, Daisuke. You're never going to get comfortable._

_You're probably right,_ Daisuke sighed, but continued to fidget anyway.

"Are you all right, Niwa?"

Daisuke looked up to see Satoshi staring at him, vague concern on his face. The redhead flushed slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine, just trying to get comfortable," he said, embarrassed.

Satoshi smiled slightly. "Maybe if you sat up straight," he suggested.

"What do you mean?" Daisuke asked, unconsciously sitting up straighter.

"You slump in your chair when you read," Satoshi told him. "You should be more careful, Niwa. How many art thieves do you see with curved spines?" he added, a bit of humor glinting in his eyes.

"Why do they make straight-back chairs anyway?" Daisuke complained in a joking manner. "A person's spine isn't straight. Forcing them to sit perfectly straight only puts the spine in a position that it was never meant to be in."

Satoshi blinked at him slowly. "That's actually a very good point," he conceded.

Daisuke grinned back. "Thanks."

The phone could be heard ringing off in the living room.

Satoshi sighed. "I'll be back."

Daisuke watched the older boy go, closing the door behind him. He bent back to his books.

_What are you waiting for? This is the perfect time to check for information on the axe!_

The redhead hesitated. _I told you, I don't want to go behind Hiwatari-kun's back._

_Well, I'm sure that if you say 'Excuse me, Commander, but I want to use your books to look up the true hiding place of one of the most powerful artwork your family has ever created. Is that okay?' he'll be more than happy to let you use them, _ Dark said with biting sarcasm. _Come **on**, Daisuke! We know that he knows something about the axe since he knew about the decoy. He's not gonna tell us. We have to find out for ourselves._

He sighed. _Why is this so important again? _

_Because the axe has something to do with the Black Wings, but we don't know what. Anything that has to do with the Black Wings has the potential to be absolutely devastating. For everyone. _

With another sigh, the teenager pushed himself up from the table and started looking on the shelves.

_Keep going. When you were looking for stuff about Freedert, I spotted a book that just might have what we nee—there! _

Daisuke's hand, which had been running along the titles, stopped at a moldering journal. He carefully slid it out and opened it up. It was a treatise on the artwork created by the first few Hikari affected by the curse, and he started flipping through pages. The name Hikari Taro caught his eye.

_Why does that sound familiar?_

_Hikari Taro was the first. It was he who created the Black Wings, _Dark explained, sounding unusually solemn.

Daisuke skimmed the passage, and then read it again.

"The Edge of Sorrows was an axe was created by Hikari Taro in his despair and madness after his love was killed. It was a work of darkness, forged and tempered in his own blood, as well as the blood of the girl he loved and Krad killed. An artwork of amazing power, but clearly full of dark, perhaps even blood magic, this artwork has been missing for centuries. It is currently presumed that a member of the family was responsible for the disappearance, to keep the axe safe and hidden from those who would misuse its power."

Daisuke's brow wrinkled. _This is what we want? It sounds dangerous._

_What Hikari work isn't?_ Dark said dryly. _No, this thing has too much power to be left unattended._

_But it sounds like the Hikari are tending it—_

Dark made a rude noise. _The Hikari in the book admit that the axe is missing. They don't know where it is._

_But they said that one Hikari had it—_

_They **thought**! And even if that was the case, there's only one Hikari left! Do you really think the Honorable Commander has it? If he has it, do you think he's capable of taking care of it? _

Daisuke thought for a moment. _Yes, actually, I do think that he would be capa—_

"What are you doing?"

Daisuke whirled in surprise. The Hikari in question was standing in the doorway, staring at him. And suddenly, the redhead was aware of what a compromising situation he was in. "Umm…"

XXXXX

Satoshi's head was beginning to pound as he stared at the very guilty-looking redhead. The phone call had been from his father, who had heard one of his officers mention that Satoshi was spending a large amount of time with the Niwa boy. She had thought it was sweet that Satoshi finally had a friend.

Hiwatari Kei had not been amused, to say the least. Satoshi had spent the last five hellish minutes defending his relationship, such as it was, with Niwa. He had told Hiwatari in no uncertain terms that he knew what he was doing and hung up on him, an act for which he was sure to be lectured for later.

And then he had returned to find Niwa rummaging through the forbidden part of the archives, apparently proving his father correct.

Satoshi was not pleased.

The commander took a few strides forward and removed the book from Daisuke's unresisting hand. His face hardened when he saw what Daisuke had been reading. He closed the book with a firm snap and set it back on the shelf, his face a mask.

"Hiwatari-kun…" Daisuke began, an earnest look on his open face.

_He betrayed you…_Krad whispered delicately.

"Stop. Just stop," Satoshi said with great control, to both of them.

Daisuke froze, his mouth half-open to speak.

Satoshi turned back to him, and the anger he could not fully hide was evident in his voice. "You used me."

Daisuke began to shake his head in mute denial.

"All this time, you told me that you wanted to use the archives to look up information on the Second Hand of Time," Satoshi continued relentlessly. "To learn more about Freedert. To try and figure out where the feeling of apprehension looming over Azumano is coming from. And it was all a front to learn more about the Edge of Sorrows."

"No, that's not it!" the redhead protested.

Satoshi looked at him bitterly. "Isn't it? You needed information and I quite stupidly provided you with it."

"Hiwat—"

"I should have known better than to trust a Niwa," the commander said coldly.

Daisuke jerked back as if he had been slapped, hurt unmistakable in the large amber-colored eyes.

Satoshi did not care. He was furious and sad and hurt at Daisuke's betrayal and embarrassed at having let his guard down and most of all he was very, very angry.

_I told you the Niwa wasn't to be trusted. They never are. _

Daisuke was stammering something, but the pounding in Satoshi's head drowned out all noise except that of his heartbeat. And Krad.

_Let me out, and I will take care of him for you._

His heart was beating in time to the pounding in his head.

_Let me out let me out let me out **let me out**…_

"Get out," Satoshi said simply.

Daisuke's face almost seemed to crumple. "Hiwatari-kun…"

The commander shook his head and closed his eyes, concentrating on keeping his emotions under control so Krad couldn't escape and rip the redhead's throat out. "Leave now, Niwa."

When he opened them again, Daisuke was gone.


	28. Chapter 13: November 19

ASN: It's come to my attention that these chapters have been getting shorter and shorter.

AN: You should know, since you're the one who broke it up into chapters!

ASN: Well…probably, but that's not the point. The point is—

AN: (grins evilly)

ASN: **The point is** that since the chapters are so short, I might start putting up two at a time. D'ya think that might make the readers happy?

AN: I highly doubt anyone will complain too much.

ASN: Anyway, the chapters will get longer here again soon. Till then, enjoy two chapters!

**Chapter 13: November 19**

Satoshi seriously considered not going to school. Krad had kept him up most of the night spitting death threats towards the Niwa in general and Daisuke in particular. To put it quite plainly, after the events of yesterday and a sleepless night, Satoshi simply did not feel he could sit behind Niwa and watch him with his usual impassiveness.

On the other hand, if he missed a day of school, Hiwatari would undoubtedly find out and call him to see what was wrong. He might even stop by 'to check on him.'

That was more than enough incentive for Satoshi to get out of bed.

He showered, skipped breakfast as usual, and walked down the stairs to the front door. He gave his bag a quick check to make sure that he had remembered his homework and any other materials required for the day and turned left towards the school…and promptly ran into the redhead who'd been waiting there.

"Sorry!" Daisuke gasped, apparently horrified.

"What are you doing here?" Satoshi asked, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

The Niwa backed up a bit and looked up at the commander. "I…I wanted to talk to you," he said softly, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy.

Satoshi sighed in resignation and started walking towards the school. "Could I keep you from talking even if I wanted to?" he asked coolly.

"I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun."

"Sorry you got caught, perhaps," Satoshi replied, continuing to walk.

"No. I was wrong to look at your private materials behind your back, and I'm sorry I made you lose your trust in me," Daisuke said with more seriousness than Satoshi could ever recall. "I value your friendship very highly, Hiwatari-kun, and I should not have jeopardized it."

Satoshi sighed. "How much of this is due to the fact that you need me to keep pretending that we're involved?" he said cynically without even glancing at the smaller boy.

Without hesitation, Daisuke stepped in front of him, forcing the commander to stop and look at him. The redhead's eyes were hurt and somewhat angry. "Do you really think that little of me? If you don't want to pretend anymore, just say so. That's not going to affect my apology in any way. I was wrong."

"Yes, you were," Satoshi agreed neutrally.

Daisuke gave a small sigh of frustration. "Look, Hiwatari-kun…is there anything I can do or say to make things right?"

Satoshi glanced away, carefully maintaining a perfectly blank expression. "I trusted you."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Daisuke's shoulders sink a little. "I know," the redhead said softly. "And…I know it may not mean anything, but I am truly sorry, and I swear it will never happen again."

Satoshi turned back to face Daisuke, studying him with a cool and impassive stare. Daisuke steadfastly looked back, his honesty and conviction clear on his face. Finally, Satoshi nodded.

"So, will you start talking to me again?" Daisuke said hesitantly.

With a slight adjustment to his shoulder bag, Satoshi started walking again. "We are talking."

Exhaling deeply, Daisuke caught up with him. "That wasn't…" He ran a hand through his spiky hair. "I mean, well…" He looked hesitantly at the older teen. "Can we be friends again?"

Satoshi sighed. "I'm not sure."

Daisuke nodded, as if he had expected that answer. "Maybe it would be best if we just started over, sort of. Rebuild the trust."

The commander nodded slowly. "Maybe."

"All right," Daisuke said cheerfully. "Do you want to study with me tomorrow?" His smile grew somewhat sad, and he added, "Maybe we could start studying at the library. It would probably be best for both of us if I didn't go back to your apartment for a while."

The commander was taken aback, and somewhat surprised at Daisuke's thoughtfulness. "Perhaps." He paused for a moment. "What will your mother say about losing access to the archives?" he asked, the question a little harsher than he intended.

Daisuke shrugged. "She'll be disappointed, but that's the way it is. Our friendship is worth more to me than the axe."

"Studying tomorrow at the library sounds fine," Satoshi agreed after a long moment.

"Cool," Daisuke said with a smile, and proceeded to chatter about everything and nothing as they walked to school together.

The two never spoke of it again.


	29. Chapter 14: November 24

**Chapter 14: November 24**

As the days passed, Daisuke and Satoshi fell into a sort of pattern. The school's whispers about the two of them being together slowly died down as the students lost interest and moved on to more exciting rumors, such as the one about the art teacher and Kaseda-sensei, the gruff cooking instructor. The two Harada twins continued to ignore both Satoshi and Daisuke with equal coolness. As a result, Daisuke went out of his way to avoid speaking with either Riku or Risa. Satoshi simply returned their glares with icy glances of his own, and the twins soon began to avoid **him**.

Daisuke would usually eat lunch on the roof with Satoshi, to keep up appearances. One day, however, that was not to be.

"Daisuke!"

The redhead turned just in time to see Saehara come bounding up to him. "Come eat with us today!"

Nishimura stood a pace behind Saehara, but was nodding as well. "We don't get to talk to you much anymore."

"Okay," Daisuke said slowly, casting a glance at Satoshi. The commander shrugged and headed up the stairs toward the roof.

"Well," the redhead said, turning back to his friends, "What do you want to talk about?"

Both of the boys smiled.

_Oh, that can't be good,_ Dark observed.

Saehara grabbed one arm, and Nishimura walked on Daisuke's other side, effectively preventing escape. They led him outside. The courtyard was practically deserted, with only a few other students scattered on the various benches.

Daisuke shivered slightly. "Isn't it a little cold to eat outside?" he protested.

Saehara raised an eyebrow as he sat down on the nearest bench, pulling Daisuke down next to him. "I'm sure it's just as cold on the roof, which is where you were going anyway."

Nishimura sat down on the other side and shrugged. "Besides, we don't really want to be overheard."

"What do you want to know?" Daisuke asked warily as he pulled out his lunch.

"Well," Nishimura began hesitantly, "We've been wondering…you know, ever since we found out…"

"Tell us," Saehara continued in a low voice, leaning toward him, "How did you know you were gay?"

"**What**?!" Daisuke jerked back so much that he nearly fell into Nishimura, and his fish roll went flying onto the ground. As he grabbed the edge of the bench to regain his balance, he noticed several of the other students looking at him curiously. He flushed and lowered his voice. "What?"

Saehara grinned conspiratorially. "Why did you decide to ditch elder-Harada for Hiwatari?"

Daisuke flushed again, deeper this time. "Uhhh…."

_Eloquent, Daisuke,_ Dark commented dryly.

_Dark! Help me, what should I say?!_ Daisuke asked, panicked.

_Well, it should be something that they'd believe, something to satisfy a person as romantic as Saehara is… _The thief paused to think. _Make something really sappy up, like…_Dark's next words were spoken in a kind of overdramatic sing-song. _Tell them that you and Hiwatari are soul mates, and that you don't think gender matters as long as 'the soul is one.'_

"Uh…" Daisuke began, but the words stuck in his throat.

The thief sighed deeply. _Tell them that you think he's cute or something._

Daisuke's flush deepened to the point that it was painful. "Uh…."

"C'mon, Daisuke," Saehara said, "You can tell us. We're your friends, and we want to know."

"Why?" The redhead eyed the reporter suspiciously.

Saehara shrugged. "We want to know if the whole gay thing just hit you or if it's been something you gradually came to know. After all," he said, looking down to rummage through his bag, "there were always those rumors."

"What?!" Daisuke rocketed up and glared at his friend. "What rumors? What do you mean?! I'm not—"

_Careful, Daisuke, you'll blow your cover!_

"I'm not…I'm not that obvious, am I?" Daisuke trailed off lamely.

Saehara and Nishimura shared a knowing look over Daisuke's head. "It's okay, Daisuke. We're still friends with you anyway."

"Uh, I, um…" Daisuke stammered for a moment. "I…remembered something I have to go do. I'll see you guys later."

The two shared another look. "All right, Niwa. Whatever you say," Nishimura said soothingly.

Saehara leaned back against the bench. "Yeah. Tell Hiwatari we said hello."

Daisuke didn't even acknowledge the comment, much less try to deny it. "Bye."

He headed into the school, though his steps slowed considerably as soon as he was out of his friends' sight. _Dark…_ he began miserably. _Do I…act gay?_

_Not all the time._

Daisuke's face fell.

The thief apparently realized that he'd given the wrong answer and tried to make amends. _I mean, you're really confident when you're thieving…except when there's trouble. Then you get kinda wimpy. _

_Dark!_

Dark heaved a deep sigh. _Calm down, Daisuke. So you're not macho, you don't act like a 'manly man.' Big deal. Very few people do. _

_You do,_ Daisuke commented dejectedly.

_Daisuke…_ the thief said gently, _You have to remember…I've had a few hundred years to practice. _

Daisuke found himself pushing open the door to the roof before he ever made a conscious decision to go up.

Satoshi glanced up from the book he was reading. "I thought you were eating with your friends today."

"I wasn't comfortable," Daisuke replied softly.

The commander looked at him questioningly.

Daisuke noticed the look and quickly forced a smile. "Besides, it's quiet up here. I don't get that often."

Satoshi eyed him for another moment. His gaze softened a little and he nodded once. "All right," he said neutrally and let the subject drop.


	30. Chapter 15: November 25

**Chapter 15: November 25**

Satoshi gratefully walked into the warmth of the library one chilly, miserable afternoon, shaking the cold rain from his hair.

"Hiwatari-kun!" came a soft call.

The commander turned to see Daisuke waving from a corner table, and the head librarian scowling at him. He walked over to the redhead. "Niwa, it would be unwise to anger the librarian, because she will ask you to leave if you get any louder. Besides," he added dryly, "It's a little wet to study outside."

Daisuke blushed slightly. "Sorry."

Satoshi sat down across from him, opening his bag and carefully checking his books for signs of damp. "It's all right, Niwa, just be more quiet."

"Not that," the smaller boy interrupted, then flushed deeper. "Well, yeah, I guess I am sorry about being loud, but I meant about the rain."

The commander blinked. "Niwa," he said slowly, "Our families have been enemies for generations, but not even the most fanatic of the Hikari ever blamed a Niwa for the weather."

A grin flashed briefly on Daisuke's face. "Thanks, but I meant that I was sorry you had to go out in the rain."

"Oh." Satoshi shrugged noncommittally. "It was my decision."

"I just want you to know that I really appreciate you going all the way home after school to get the books for us to study," the redhead said sincerely.

Somewhat surprised, but pleased by the Niwa's gratitude, Satoshi smiled slightly. He handed Daisuke one of the sturdier texts from his library on the Second Hand of Time. "We should really get started. When do you have to be home?"

"There's nothing planned for tonight," Daisuke said, accepting the book and carefully opening it. "So I don't really have to be back until dinner, which means I can stay here until around 6:30 or so."

Satoshi nodded and opened his own book. He was reading a short text that attempted to explain why the Second Hand of Time had not been destroyed, only sealed by the Hikari generations earlier.

The commander frowned. The book's argument was weak, and it seemed obvious that the Hikari merely could not bear to destroy one of their most powerful artworks. His mouth tightened. This weakness on the part of his ancestors had caused no amount of trouble for him a few months ago.

Unfortunately, the book seemed to solely be a slightly-defensive explanation of why the Hikari had chosen to leave the Second Hand of Time intact. No dire warnings of what would happen if the artwork was broken were forthcoming, and the teen frowned in irritation.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked softly. Satoshi looked up to see the redhead staring at him worriedly.

"Nothing, Niwa," Satoshi replied, closing the book and reaching for another. "That text had nothing of any value in it."

Daisuke gave him a sympathetic smile. "We do seem to be hitting a lot of dead ends."

"That is what research mainly is," Satoshi told him. "A lot of looking until you finally manage to stumble across what you need."

"Yeah." Daisuke looked back down at his text. "But it's necessary."

"Quite," Satoshi agreed.

The boys read in easy silence for the next hour or so. Finally, Daisuke put his pen down and glanced at his watch. "It's about time for me to go, Hiwatari-kun," he said quietly.

Satoshi closed his own book and reached for Daisuke's, putting it back in his bag. "All right. Find anything helpful?" he asked, as he always did.

Daisuke made a slight face. "Nothing interesting and certainly nothing about why breaking the Second Hand of Time would have such weird effects."

"I'll bring another book tomorrow," Satoshi sighed and stood up.

Daisuke stood as well, tossing his own school bag over his shoulder and quickly catching up with the taller boy. "Is it still raining?"

"A little," Satoshi noted, pulling on his jacket.

"Don't you have an umbrella?" Daisuke asked with concern, digging around in his bag.

"I'm fine, Niwa," Satoshi said calmly.

"You might get sick, walking in the rain without anything covering your head. Do you want mine?" Daisuke held out his own umbrella.

Satoshi stared at the umbrella, which was red and patterned with images of long-eared white rabbits. He wondered where Niwa Emiko had found it. "Not really."

Niwa looked crestfallen.

The commander sighed deeply. "I will be fine," Satoshi reassured him. "It's not far to my apartment."

Daisuke smiled slightly, and Satoshi turned to leave. A slight tap on his shoulder made him pause and turn back.

The redhead was standing there, a look of utter seriousness on his face. "Thanks again, Hiwatari-kun. For everything."

"You're…welcome," Satoshi said hesitantly.

Daisuke grinned widely at him for a moment and walked out into the rain. The Niwa waved cheerfully and headed towards his home, red rabbit umbrella bobbing.

Satoshi stared after him for a moment, then shrugged and began the walk back to his apartment.


	31. Chapter 16: November 26

**Chapter 16: November 26**

_I **told** you to get up, _Dark muttered as Daisuke hurried toward the school, late again.

_I had weird dreams all night!_ Daisuke protested. _I was tired!_

_Weird dreams about what?_ The thief asked slyly. _Or about **whom**?_

Daisuke reddened slightly. _What are you talking about?!_

_Oh, nothing, I just—Riku!_

_Riku-san?_ Daisuke frowned. _I didn't dream about Riku-san; she doesn't have blue—_ He stopped right there. _I mean…_

_I'll comment on that later,_ Dark said, a touch of urgency in his voice. _Riku's right behind you!_

The redhead jerked his head up and around just in time to see Riku striding towards him. He braced himself. Her steps faltered for a moment when she realized that he had noticed her, but she recovered and strode forward.

"Niwa?" she began coolly.

"Yes, Riku-san?" he nervously replied.

She folded her arms across her chest. "Do you…" Her words trailed off, but after a moment, Riku drew herself up and continued. "Do you want your sketch back?"

Daisuke shook his head, uncertain his ears were working correctly. "What?"

She glanced down, obviously becoming uncomfortable. "The sketch of the town that you gave me the day we drew together."

Daisuke's eyes lit up with the memory. "Oh yeah! I remember!" Sketching with Riku-san at the fountain park, getting the idea for his snow painting…

"So, you want it back then?" she asked in a business-like tone.

"Oh no, Riku-san!" He smiled hesitantly, hoping that it would reassure her. "I drew that for you. Keep it, if you want it."

An ever-so-brief flash of gratitude appeared on her face, and then she looked away quickly. "I think I will." With that, Riku started walking towards the school.

Impulsively, Daisuke ran and caught up with her. "Are…are you okay?" he asked helplessly.

Riku stopped and looked at him seriously. "I'm getting there; give me some time." She glanced up at the sky. "It's better now that I know why you broke up with me."

Daisuke fidgeted. "Well…"

She continued her study of the clouds above her. "It was just…it ended so fast. I mean, one day we were fine and the next you told me it was over. It really bugged me when you didn't tell me why. I thought it might have been something I did."

"No, Riku-san," Daisuke denied instantly. "It wasn't anything you did."

"I know that now," she said, looking down so her hair fell in front of her face. "But I didn't then. And the reasons I made up to explain it were worse than anything that really caused it."

"I'm sorry," Daisuke offered, feeling miserable all over again. "I know that doesn't make it any better, but I am."

She looked at him intently for a moment, then smiled sadly. It was the first time he'd seen her smile since their relationship had ended.

"Oh, Niwa…" She punched him in the shoulder and shook her head. "You're really sweet…but you're so stupid."

With that left-handed compliment, she ran away to get changed before class. Daisuke blinked. _Is it just me, or do people say that a lot?_

_Nope. People say it all the time. Must be true, _Dark said with a laugh.

_Huh._ Daisuke thoughtfully walked into the school.

_Well, it took her a while, but she seems to be adjusting. Finally,_ Dark commented.

_I'm glad,_ Daisuke responded. _I was worried she'd never talk to me again._

_She would have gotten over it eventually,_ Dark said casually. _People get dumped all the time. Now, if you had actually told her the truth, **that** would have been a lot more traumatic._

_Yeah, it would have been_, the teen said wryly. Then he paused. _I was a wreck there for a while. I never really thanked you for helping me through it, so…thanks._

Dark's next words sounded distinctly embarrassed. _No problem. Don't mention it._

_It must have been just as traumatic for you, finding out that you had granddaughters and all. How did you get over it so fast?_

Dark was silent for a moment. _I've been around for hundreds of years, Daisuke. I've seen everything there is to see. The news…surprised me. I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore._

Daisuke hefted his bag a little higher as he started upstairs. _Are you…sorry?_

_I'm sorry for leaving Rika in that situation. She deserved more than that…better than that._ Dark sighed softly, then abruptly switched on his wicked grin. _But am I sorry for being the grandfather of the two hottest girls in school? Of course not!_

_Dark! They're your **granddaughters**!_

Dark snickered. _Oh, I know. They obviously got my genes. I mean, good looks **and** they're good kissers, too._

Shocked, Daisuke's right foot slipped off the next step he was climbing. He tottered precariously for a second before overbalancing and beginning to fall backwards.

A hand firmly shoved him in the small of his back and pushed him upright. Daisuke grabbed onto the handrail and caught himself before he fell on his face. He stood still on the step for a second, panting slightly at his narrow escape.

_Graceful,_ Dark said dryly.

"Shut up," Daisuke muttered. "It was your fault." He glanced back at his rescuer.

Satoshi was standing a few steps below him, one eyebrow raised.

"Hiwatari-kun!"

"You need to be more careful," Satoshi commented, starting to walk up towards him.

"Yeah, I know—" Daisuke began.

Satoshi brushed by, a smile barely visible. "After all, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness…and we wouldn't want people to think you're crazy."

Daisuke blinked after him.

_His concern for your well-being is overwhelming,_ Dark said sarcastically.

_Did I really talk out loud?!_ Daisuke gasped.

_Uh…yeah, actually, you did._

Daisuke's next words were slightly panicked. _Do I do that often? People could really think I'm crazy!_

_Well,_ Dark said cheerfully, _at least they're not laboring under a delusion. _

_Dark, this is serious!_ Daisuke protested. _People could really start to talk, and I'm not sure the both of us could stand up to a psychiatric evaluation. _

Dark shrugged. _What does their opinion matter to such as us?_

Daisuke frowned. _What did you say?_

_I **said**, what do such as they matter to such as us?_

A cold chill ran down Daisuke's spine. _Don't say that. _

_Geez, calm down. It was a joke. _

_It wasn't funny. It was a very cold thing to say. _

Dark seemed puzzled. _Since when do you care what other people think?_

_I don't! I just…_ Daisuke's anger vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. _I just don't think people should think they're better than other people. _

_Okay, you're right,_ Dark agreed. _Now, you know what I think?_

_What?_

_I think you need to move it or you're gonna be late for class. _

_AHH!_ Daisuke bolted down the hall.

_Oh, yeah, by the way…_ Dark began.

_What?!_

A suggestive smile bloomed on the thief's face. _In your dream…blue what?_


	32. Chapter 17: November 28

**Chapter 17: November 28**

As a bright morning sun shone Monday, Daisuke yawned as he finished climbing the stairs and walked towards the classroom.

_Well, at least you're not gonna be late today,_ Dark said cheerfully.

_After the lecture the sensei gave me on Saturday for being late?_ Daisuke rubbed his ear in remembrance.

_Yeah, it was a heck of a way to end the week,_ Dark agreed. _She was kinda harsh, although she still doesn't hold a candle to Emiko._

Daisuke grimaced. _Don't remind me. She said that if I was late to class at all this week, she was going to call Mom and speak with her about it._

_Ooh_, Dark said sympathetically. _Yeah, that would be unpleasant for everyone involved. Although,_ the thief began thoughtfully.

_Although what?_ Daisuke asked, sliding open the door to the classroom.

_Although there can be definite disadvantages to showing up to class early._

The redhead frowned. _Like what?_

"Daisuke!" Saehara came bouncing up and draped an arm around his shoulders.

_Like him._

Immediately, Daisuke cringed. "What do you want now?"

"I need a favor," Saehara told him in a hushed tone. "You remember that girl I introduced you to at the play? Hashimoto Aimi?"

"Um, no," Daisuke admitted after a moment's thought.

"Daisuke! How could you not?! She was beautiful, radiant, a vision, a goddess, a—"

"I get the picture," Daisuke interrupted. "What about her?"

"Well, I want to take her out."

"Congratulations." He wasn't sure if it was Dark's influence or Hiwatari-kun's, but Daisuke was definitely getting better at sarcasm.

"There's only one problem, and that's where I need you." Saehara pointed at Daisuke. "You are vital."

_Run away, _Dark advised. _Run now, before it's too late. _

_Be quiet. _

"You see, Daisuke, she's really modest and doesn't like the idea of being alone with a guy until she really gets to know him." Saehara beamed. "Isn't that a great virtue?!"

"Yeah. Sure."

_Personally, it sounds like a good attempt to tell Saehara to scram._

While Daisuke thought Dark may have a point, he felt compelled to defend Saehara. _Maybe she's just shy and modest. _

_And boring. Like Hiwatari. _

_What does Hiwatari-kun have to do with anything?!_

_I have a feeling he's going to come up here shortly. _

"I know, she's great. Amazing! Anyway…" Saehara caught himself after only two adjectives. "I want you to come along."

Daisuke blinked. "Why?"

"Because she doesn't want to be alone, and this would make it a double date!" Saehara said triumphantly.

A feeling akin to terror twisted Daisuke's stomach. "Double date?"

"Yeah! Me and her, and you and Hiwatari!"

_I **told** you to run. _

"H-Hiwatari-kun doesn't—he's not going to want to. And…why me?"

"Well," Saehara hedged, "she wanted you to come."

"Why? I don't even remember who she is!"

"Good! I mean—" Saehara took a deep breath. "Okay. Straight up. She thinks you're funny, a good actor, and really intriguing. In fact, she seems really interested in **you**." He was no longer smiling.

"Um…" Daisuke was confused. "Sorry?"

"She wouldn't come unless you came," Saehara explained. "I think she actually just wants a chance to meet you again."

"So…why do you want me to come, then?" Daisuke asked. "Tell her I'm busy."

"But she'll still want to meet you! You'll be a barrier between the love that could develop between me and Aimi."

Daisuke waved his hands. "No barrier here. Really, you can have her. I'm not interested."

Saehara smiled indulgently. "I know you're not. That's why I want you to come. With Hiwatari."

The dawn broke. "Ah. I see."

"That way, whenever she realizes you're into guys—" Saehara began to explain.

"I got it!" Daisuke interrupted, trying to keep from turning red. "Look, I'll come if you want, but I don't think Hiwatari-kun will."

Saehara frowned. "He has to come. That's the whole point."

"He doesn't…really socialize. At all."

"Well, get him to."

"I can't," Daisuke protested. "He's stubborn."

_Amen to that_.

Saehara sighed deeply, regretfully. "I didn't want to have to do this…"

"Do what?" Daisuke's eyes narrowed.

_Run now, Daisuke! You still have a chance!_

The reporter reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "There's something in here you're going to want," he said. "Bring Hiwatari, and I'll give it to you."

Daisuke stood his ground. "It could be a blank sheet of paper for all I know. Show it to me."

Saehara smiled evilly and Daisuke broke out in a cold sweat. "You asked."

He opened the envelope and pulled out a 3 by 5 photograph. Daisuke took it. The photo was technically quite good, crisp and clear with the subject just slightly off-center and nicely framed. Unfortunately, the subject was Daisuke sitting in Satoshi's lap, nose-to-nose with the other boy.

Daisuke remembered this. He'd tripped and run right into Satoshi. They'd landed in a tangle. In front of the entire class. Naturally.

"So what?" Daisuke said a little heatedly. "Yeah, it's embarrassing, but the entire school heard about it. Thanks to you."

Saehara bowed. "Thank you."

"If this is blackmail, you need to practice a little more."

He took the picture back. "Well, if you're not interested…"

_**Run!**_

Daisuke sighed. "What?"

"I have other plans for this picture if you don't want it." Saehara slipped the photo back into the envelope and tucked it into his bag.

A feeling of impending doom hovered over Daisuke's head. "What?"

"There's this photography contest sponsored by the police station Dad's trying to get me to enter. They're going to publish the winning entries. And currently, this is the best picture I have."

Impending doom landed squarely on his head. "When's the date?"

"Tomorrow," Saehara chirped. "Seven o'clock at the movie theater. Don't forget Hiwatari!"

Daisuke watched Saehara bound down the hall. _What am I going to tell Hiwatari-kun?_

_Oh, **now** you want my advice! I told you to run four or five different times! _

_I can't just run from my best friend!_

_You have weird friends. **I** would've run. _

_What should I tell Hiwatari-kun? _

Dark inwardly shrugged. _You could try telling him the truth—tell him Saehara blackmailed you. It's not that unbelievable. _

_But it's embarrassing to admit to something like that. Especially to someone like Hiwatari-kun. _

_XXXXX_

Satoshi stared at Daisuke. Nothing was said for a moment, simply because he could not find the words. "Niwa…are you out of your mind?"

"Well—"

"What makes you think I would agree to go on a double date with **Saehara**?"

Daisuke smiled weakly. "Are you saying you would as long as it wasn't with Saehara?"

Satoshi regarded Daisuke with the same look he would give to something on the bottom of his shoe and began to walk away.

"Wait! Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke ran after him. "I'm being blackmailed," he admitted sheepishly.

"With what?" Satoshi turned to glance at him. "Does he know about Dark?"

Daisuke's eyes got even wider. "Don't even **say** that!"

"What then?" He sighed. "What could possibly be bad enough that you would agree to this and hope I would, as well?"

"Well," Daisuke looked at the ground, "You remember that day I ran into you and…fell…on you?"

Satoshi nodded slowly. "Go on…"

"He got a picture, and wants to enter it in a photography contest…that's sponsored by the police."

The older boy's eyebrow twitched slightly. "That would be inconvenient."

"Yeah," Daisuke agreed. "He said if we go, he'll give the picture to us."

The commander sighed deeply. "When is this?"

Daisuke cringed. "Tomorrow. Seven."

A look of irritation briefly crossed Satoshi's face. "At least there's no heist tomorrow," he said finally.

"Thank you," Daisuke said in a small voice.

Satoshi looked at him. "I don't suppose you could convince the phantom thief to steal those pictures before tomorrow night?"

Daisuke shook his head. "He thinks it's funny."

"He would."


	33. Chapter 18: November 29

**Chapter 18: November 29**

Unfortunately, the next evening arrived clear and cool, with no rain, thunder, hail, earthquake or other tragedy that could have caused the movie theater to close. And so, Daisuke was getting ready for his evening…though not without a feeling that the night would end in disaster. Or at least mayhem.

But first, he had to get past his mother.

"Dai-chan, I'm so glad you're going out again!" Emiko came bouncing into his room with an armful of black fabric. "Ever since that issue with Riku-chan, you've spent so much time cooped up studying that I was beginning to worry that your social life had suffered."

With a shrug, Daisuke smiled at her. "It's just a movie, Mom."

"And dinner afterwards," she continued. "You should look good."

He eyed the fabric warily. "That doesn't include fishnet or leather straps, does it?"

Her eyes glinted. "Of course not, sweetie. I bought it especially for you."

Daisuke cringed.

_Emiko is chaos personified,_ Dark commented. _She would have made a wonderful host. _

As he considered the havoc that would have ensued if such an event had occurred, Daisuke's eyes glazed over.

"Oh, come on, sweetie, it's not that bad." Emiko presented the ensemble and beamed. "Go ahead and try it on, and make sure you model for me." She disappeared down the stairs before Daisuke could protest. Not that she would have listened, anyway.

After dressing, Daisuke surveyed himself in the mirror and made a face. "She must be joking," he muttered.

_I think it looks good. _

_You would. _

The outfit was obviously intended for Daisuke simply because it was already tight for his build. Dark would never have been able to fit into it.

_Are you implying I'm fat?_ Dark sounded offended.

_No. You're just taller than I am. And broader…in the shoulders. _

Dark didn't seem to quite believe him. _Right. Hmph. _

Daisuke cast a critical eye over his reflection again and sighed. Tight black jeans tucked into boots, with a well-fitted turtleneck—black as well. And as contrast, she'd found, somewhere, a simple white denim jacket…with a tiny single black feather embroidered above the chest pocket.

It did not look bad, for sure. It just didn't look like Daisuke.

_I've always said you needed to expand your wardrobe. _

_No, you haven't. _

Dark paused, then mentally shrugged. _Well, I just did. _

Daisuke rolled his eyes and proceeded downstairs to present himself to his waiting mother.

She took one look at him and promptly pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, sweetie, you look so handsome!"

"I don't know, Mom," Daisuke said hesitantly. "It's just—I mean, I'm just going out with my friends. I don't need to be dressed up."

Emiko's smile didn't change, but the kitchen suddenly seemed darker, more menacing. "You should wear it, sweetie."

_I'd do as she says if I were you. _

Daisuke sighed. "Okay, Mom."

The dark aura that had permeated the kitchen suddenly 'poofed', and all was well again. "Have fun, dear! Your dad and I are going out for dinner, too, but if you have to call, Towa-chan and your grandfather will be here."

He trotted out the door with a smile and a wave…and then poked his head back in. "Where are you guys going for dinner?" he said casually. Too casually.

"A little Italian restaurant on the other side of town," she told him with a smile. "Don't want to be seen in public with your parents?"

He gave a quick smile and didn't answer. As the door drifted shut behind him, Kosuke appeared behind Emiko. She turned to him. "Do you think he's going to be okay?"

"Daisuke's strong," he told her softly. "He'll be just fine."

She nodded and leaned against him. "You're right. I shouldn't worry."

Kosuke nodded, then frowned slightly. "Who did he say he was going out with, again?"

XXXXX

Saehara and Aimi were already waiting when Daisuke came around the corner to the theater. "So, what are we seeing?" he asked with forced cheerfulness.

"Daisuke!" Saehara chirped. "Hey, let me reintroduce you. This is Hashimoto Aimi; Aimi-chan, Niwa Daisuke."

The girl held out her hand in greeting. "Hi, Niwa-kun. It's good to see you again. You were great in the play."

Daisuke grinned weakly. "Uh, thanks."

Her eyes sparkled. "You made a wonderful heroine. Although you do look better without the skirt."

_I think she likes you. _

Daisuke flushed. _Yeah…maybe. _

Judging from the irritated look, Daisuke had a feeling that the same thought was running through Saehara's head as well. "Daisuke…where's Hiwatari?"

"He said he was coming."

"I certainly hope so," Saehara said dryly. Daisuke cringed.

Aimi looked back and forth at the two. "Who are we waiting for?"

"Daisuke's _friend_," Saehara told her, voice heavy with significance.

"Oh, okay." The significance flew right by her unnoticed, whether by simple ignorance or deliberate choice, Daisuke wasn't sure.

"So what movie are we seeing?" he asked desperately.

Saehara looked at the posters. "Well, we could see that romantic comedy," he said tentatively. "All the girls in the class said it was good, but it's up to you, Aimi-chan."

The girl shook her head decisively. "I hate romances. They're boring, unrealistic, and often just painful to watch."

_You know, I think I like her,_ Dark said cheerfully.

"Personally, if it's okay with you two, I'd like to see that one." She pointed to the poster advertising the season's biggest action-adventure. "Since I grew up hearing about my dad's adventures in the police force, I really like things like this."

Daisuke resisted the urge to bury his head in his hands. _Another policewoman. _

_Hmm…_ Dark studied the girl thoughtfully. _She is pretty cute. And if you put **her** in one of those little uniforms—_

_Bad thoughts! _

"If that's what you want," Saehara said, clearly relieved at not having to sit through two hours of romantic drivel.

"It's going to start soon, though." Aimi looked at Daisuke. "Maybe we should go on in. Your friend can come find us."

"Well—" Saehara's glare was shooting daggers at Daisuke. "He—It'll be really hard to find us in the theater. And he doesn't know what movie we're seeing, anyway."

Aimi took a step closer to him. "We could go in and Saehara could wait for him."

The daggers got sharper.

"No, he's my friend. I should really wait," Daisuke said dutifully.

"I'll wait with you."

Saehara folded his arms, looking unamused. "We'll all wait."

Daisuke, at this point, realized that Aimi had somehow managed to move during their conversation from Saehara's side to his. Fairly close to his side, actually. He took a step back. "Really, why don't you two go in—"

"Niwa?" a cool voice interrupted.

They all whirled to see Satoshi standing behind them, hands shoved into the pockets of his khakis, a loose, long-sleeved black shirt hanging off his slight frame.

"When did you get here?" Daisuke asked, rattled by his sudden appearance.

"Hiwatari!" Saehara was clearly overjoyed to see him. "Glad you could make it. Let's go; the movie's about to start."

He headed into the theater to get tickets, and the other three slowly followed behind, Aimi sticking a little too close to Daisuke for comfort. And Satoshi was stonily silent.

Daisuke knew this was going to be a bad night.

XXXXX

The movie was vaguely interesting, with enough explosions and gunfights to keep even Dark from making more than the most general snide comments. Since Saehara had taken the seat next to Aimi, Daisuke was between Satoshi and Saehara. That left him in relative peace, since Satoshi wasn't really talking much tonight and Saehara was busy trying to take Aimi's hand.

He started to relax…and soon began to enjoy himself. He hadn't seen a movie in ages. And this one was fairly intriguing.

With a couple of truly impressive explosions, the hero and heroine barely made it safely out of the trap the villain had devised for them. In their relief, they hugged…then kissed…then—

Daisuke started to turn red.

_Hey, hey, hey. I thought it was beginning to get a little boring, _Dark leered.

_I can't believe I'm watching this. _Daisuke shrunk down in his seat a little, looking away from the screen. _How is this entertainment?_

Dark chuckled. _Surely I don't need to explain, Dai-chan? _

_**Stop**! Bad thoughts! _

_Oh, come on, Daisuke. Surely Emiko gave you 'the talk.'_

Daisuke flushed darker and slid further down. _Of course she did. I couldn't look a girl in the face for three weeks! _

Dark considered this. _Well, I suppose Emiko's explanations can be a little overwhelming. _

_Overwhelming?! She had **diagrams**!_

_Really?_ Dark perked up. _Of what? _

Daisuke groaned, trying to bury his head in his hands discreetly.

_You do realize the commander is watching you?_

_Oh, God! _

Daisuke looked up, to see Satoshi staring with an eyebrow raised. And a small smirk. "Are you all right, Niwa?"

"Fine!" Daisuke whispered, his voice a good octave higher than usual.

The smirk actually expanded to a small smile. "You don't look fine."

"I think—I'm going to go get a drink," Daisuke squeaked. He stood and made his way out of the theater into the lobby. There, he leaned against a wall and waited for the flush to fade.

Unfortunately, Dark was having a field day.

_Come on, Daisuke! I know you're not that much of a prude. _Daisuke could almost see Dark's lecherous grin. _I heard some of those thoughts about Riku. _

_What?! _Turning red again, he headed to the concession stand. _I did no such thing. _

_Maybe not consciously. But you do have a record for having weird dreams. Like the one about those blue eyes. You remember, the ones that looked suspiciously like Hiwatari's eyes. _

_It was a dream,_ Daisuke protested. _It's not like I have control over my dreams. _

_That's the point,_ Dark said dryly.

"Sir?" an attendant asked in a concerned voice from behind the concession stand. "Are you all right?"

"Just got too hot, that's all," Daisuke reassured him. "Give me a large cola, please."

The attendant handed him his drink, and Daisuke walked away just in time to see Satoshi emerging from the theater. This time, the redhead only turned slightly pink.

Satoshi walked right past him on the way to the men's restroom. As he passed, he said softly, "It's safe to go back in now."

The commander disappeared and Daisuke blinked.

_Should I wait? _

_Nah. If you leave Saehara without supervision, Aimi might throttle him. _

Daisuke headed back in. A few minutes later, Satoshi returned, and the rest of the movie passed uneventfully and fairly predictably. The villain was defeated, and the final scene was of the typical hero-heroine embrace in the sunset. To Daisuke's relief, the movie ended with just the embrace.

"Wasn't that great?" Saehara enthused as they walked out of the theater.

Daisuke and Satoshi both sighed deeply at the same time, then eyed each other strangely.

_Whoa, that was creepy,_ Dark commented.

"So, where do you wanna eat?" Saehara continued. "There's a nice place not too far from here. What do you like to eat, Aimi?"

She had managed by this point to re-maneuver herself so that she was standing next to Daisuke again.

"Oh, just about anything," she said sweetly.

"Cool! We'll go to the Seaside Cafe, then!" Saehara said cheerfully, smoothly slipping beside Daisuke, looping his arm through Aimi's, and leading the way.

Surprised, the girl let him.

_That was surprisingly subtle, for Saehara, _Dark observed.

Daisuke frowned. Not only was the Café an obvious spot for lovers, with its tiny tables and dark romantic interior, it was expensive too. "But—"

Saehara turned and glared darkly over his shoulder. "Is there a problem, Daisuke?" he asked pointedly.

"Well," the redhead fidgeted. "Maybe you and Hashimoto-san should go ahead."

The idea seemed to intrigue Saehara. "Well, if you two have other plans—"

"Oh, no!" Aimi protested. "I wanted to talk to you—and Hiwatari, of course. Get to know you better."

"I don't know…" Daisuke started to say, glancing at Satoshi for input.

He simply stared.

_Helpful, isn't he?_

"We don't have to go out to eat if you don't want to," Aimi said generously. "If you guys just want to go home, we can call it a night."

Saehara glanced at Daisuke threateningly and patted his pocket.

Daisuke sighed. "No, dinner's fine. Right, Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, Niwa."

XXXXX

Emiko smiled at Kosuke over her glass of wine. "We haven't gotten to go out together in a long, long time."

"That's what happens when someone spends twelve years traveling the world," Kosuke replied with a shrug. "I wish it hadn't taken so long."

"You did what you had to, Kosuke," she said sadly, patting his hand. "I'm just glad you're finally back."

"Me, too." He smiled back at her and leaned back in his chair. "You remember the first time we came here?"

"Oh, of course," she laughed. "It was our first date. You were so nervous, you knocked over your water glass twice."

He smiled ruefully. "Trust you to remember **that**."

"Naturally, I'd remember. You were so cute."

Kosuke gave her a look of mock disapproval, then frowned. "Emiko-san, the couple at the table behind you keep staring at us. Do you know them?"

She turned halfway in her seat. "Oh! Those are the Nishimuras. They have a son in Daisuke's class." When she waved, the couple got up and came over.

"Good evening, you two," Emiko said cheerfully. "Enjoying the night?"

"It's so warm outside for this time of year," the man responded. "It would be a crime not to enjoy it."

Nishimura's mother waved a hand. "We'll not keep you from your dinner for long," she said. "I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your son's performance in the Cultural Festival play. I never had a chance before."

Emiko smiled. "Why, thank you! You're very kind."

"Not at all," the woman said warmly. "Your son and young Hiwatari had wonderful on-stage chemistry. But then, I suppose that's to be expected."

The gracious smile froze on Emiko's face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you'd expect some depth of feeling between them, since they're dating."

Emiko knocked over her water glass.


	34. Chapter 19: November 29

**Chapter 19: November 29**

The last time Satoshi had been so bored was the night he'd been forced to spend 'bonding' with his father. At least then he didn't have to pretend to be interested.

"What was your impression of the movie, Hiwatari?" Saehara asked. "Exciting, huh?"

"The explosions were obviously computer generated, since the blast radius was much greater than anything that could have been carried in a suitcase that size."

Dead silence.

And this was **exactly** why Satoshi disliked going out with other people. "But the escape sequence was well-done," he offered with a sigh.

"You mean the car chase? Yeah, it was, wasn't it?!" Saehara enthused, Aimi and Daisuke nodding in agreement.

"It was a good choice, Hashimoto-san," Daisuke offered. She beamed at him, much to Saehara's obvious dismay.

"I thought so. I've always had a weakness for action movies, even though Dad always insists police work is generally boring. Even when you're chasing someone famous like Dark."

Satoshi stilled. Hashimoto… "Your father works for the police force?"

"Yeah," she told him. "He came in on special assignment to advise in the capture of Dark, since the police force here doesn't seem to have any idea of what to do."

Satoshi did not show his very great irritation, though he felt Niwa wince next to him. "Indeed."

"Hey, they're trying their best," Saehara defended, a little pink. "Dark's just really clever. And hard to catch."

It was going to be impossible to deal with Dark for the next three days because of this. His ego would be even larger than usual, if that was possible.

"Besides," Saehara continued, "This mysterious 'special commander' that my dad works for is supposed to be really hard to work with. Very standoffish. Dad says he's kinda stuck-up and definitely obnoxious."

Despite his best efforts, Satoshi could feel himself beginning to scowl. Daisuke glanced at him in silent apology.

"So," Daisuke said brightly, clearly trying to change the subject, "Where are you from, Hashimoto-san?"

"Oh, I'm boring," she said, waving a hand. "You don't want to hear about me. But you sound absolutely fascinating, Niwa-kun."

On cue, the teen began to turn the exact same shade of his hair. "Oh, no, not me—"

She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands, ignoring both Satoshi and Saehara. "Nonsense. We know you're a wonderful actor. What else do you do?"

Satoshi seriously considered saying that he was a damn good art thief, just to see what they would do.  
_Temper, temper, Satoshi-sama, _Krad chided.

"I paint," Daisuke said after a moment of sputtering. "But I'm not that good."

"Really?" Aimi smiled at him. A dark glower covered Saehara's face. "So you're an actor and a painter. The sensitive, artistic type, huh?" she said knowingly. "The girls must fall all over you."

As Daisuke shook his head in denial, Satoshi's frown deepened slightly. He found himself unaccountably annoyed…but wasn't quite sure why.

_If it's because you're jealous of her obvious attentions to the Niwa, Satoshi-sama, we need to have a serious discussion,_ Krad said ominously.

_Be quiet. I'm not jealous in any way, shape, or form. She's blatantly throwing herself at him, and such lack of subtlety offends me. _

_She is rather irritating,_ Krad allowed after a moment of consideration. _Just remember, you are mine. _

_Leave me alone. _

"Now, Niwa-kun, don't be so modest," she said with a smile.

"Oh, he's not being modest!" Saehara interjected quickly. "It's true; he's not real interested in girls."

Aimi deigned to glance in Saehara's direction. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

Saehara looked beseechingly at Satoshi. "No, not much for the girls. Tell her, Hiwatari."

Satoshi may have been dragged along on the date, but he was **not** getting dragged into this conversation. He simply stared implacably at Saehara until he looked away.

"Tell her, Daisuke," the reporter ordered.

Daisuke looked confused. "Tell her what?"

Saehara made a face. "You're being unusually dense tonight."

Aimi was obviously lost. "I think there's something I'm missing here."

"Aimi-chan." Saehara turned to her and gently took her hand. "This may come as a bit of a shock…but the reason Daisuke isn't popular with the girls is because, well…" He paused dramatically.

"What?" she asked.

"Daisuke and Hiwatari are together," Saehara announced. Fairly loudly. The couple at the next table looked at them sideways.

Satoshi's head was beginning to pound.

"Oh." To Aimi's credit, she hid her surprise well. "I should have known. I saw you at the play." She grinned bravely. "You two are a cute couple."

"Thanks," Daisuke mumbled.

"Check, please," was all Satoshi said in response.

XXXXX

"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be," Daisuke commented on the way home. Saehara, ever the gentleman, had offered to take Aimi home, leaving Daisuke and Satoshi to walk together.

Satoshi slowly turned his head and glared at him.

Daisuke cringed. "Yeah, so it went pretty bad. Sorry."

"Hmm."

"Are you going to talk to me at all?" the redhead asked wistfully.

"Did you get the picture?"

"Oh, yeah!" Daisuke pulled the envelope out of his pocket. "The print and the negatives."

"Good."

Nothing more was said for a few minutes as they continued to walk. However, Satoshi knew the peace wouldn't last.

_Satoshi-sama…why are you still walking with him? The apartment is the other way. _

_Go away and leave me alone. _

_And leave the two of you without a chaperone?_ Krad spat. _He's using you as a cover for his own curse's mistakes, and you are allowing him to do so. _

_That's my decision, not yours. _

_He's spending too much time with you. I do not approve. _

Satoshi sighed inwardly. _You wouldn't approve of him even if he was not a Niwa. _

_Of course not,_ Krad stated. _You belong to me, after all. This unseemly association has gone on for long enough. You should stop seeing him. _

Satoshi's eyes narrowed. _You do not give me orders._

_If you don't end this ridiculous alliance, I will,_ Krad threatened.

The menace that resonated through every word made Satoshi shudder.

"Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi looked up. "What, Niwa?"

Daisuke was looking at him in concern. "Are you cold? I saw you shiver."

Now Satoshi realized he was hugging himself tightly. "I'm fine, Niwa."

"Here." Daisuke shrugged out of his jacket and held it out. "You don't have a coat and that shirt looks really thin."

"I'm fine," he said again.

Daisuke sighed in frustration. "Just take it already."

Satoshi eyed it for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't wear white unless I have to."

Confusion was written across the redhead's face, but after a moment, comprehension surfaced in his eyes. "Of course."

He swung the jacket back on. The two continued to walk for a moment, then Daisuke started. "Hiwatari-kun, we're almost at my house. Isn't your apartment the other way?"

Satoshi nodded. "You're right, of course."

Daisuke studied him warily. "Every time you say that, I get the feeling that you're laughing at a joke I don't know."

He couldn't resist. "You're right, of course."

With a loud sigh and a roll of his eyes, Daisuke lightly slugged him in the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hiwatari-kun." He took a couple steps down the sidewalk, then called over his shoulder. "Thanks for walking me home."

Satoshi nodded once in acknowledgment and turned towards his apartment. He didn't know exactly why he had accompanied Niwa home; it had simply seemed natural to do so.

_And that's exactly why you need to stop seeing him,_ Krad growled. _You're beginning to regard the Niwa as humans. They are not human. They are prey. And you are the hunter. _

_Go to sleep, Krad. You're speaking nonsense. _

Krad's anger increased. _Do not patronize me, Satoshi-sama. _

_I know what I'm doing. _

_Pray that you do,_ Krad said simply. _I am watching you. _

XXXXX

Daisuke opened the door quietly. It was fairly late; Jii-chan was usually in bed by now, and a grumpy Jii-chan was not something anyone wanted to deal with. He slipped inside and turned to carefully close the door behind him. It closed with an almost silent click, and he turned back around.

Emiko was standing right behind him. "Daisuke!" she snapped

_Oh crap_. Daisuke stopped in the middle of the hall, staring at his obviously angry mother.

_It looks like you're in trouble, Daisuke. Whatcha do?_

_Nothing,_ Daisuke protested inwardly. _I'm not that late…am I? _

_No, only about ten minutes,_ Dark told him. _It must be something else. _

_Hiwatari-kun walked me home, but she can't have possibly seen that. Do you think she knows about him?_

Eyes flashing, Emiko folded her arms and glared at her son. "What on earth were you **thinking**?!"

_Yeah, I'm thinking she knows._

Daisuke eyed the hall for possible escape routes. Unfortunately, there weren't many. "What…what are you talking about, exactly?" he asked.

She began to open her mouth, and Daisuke bolted. He slid past her and dove for the kitchen, but felt a firm hand grab onto the back of his jacket. Daisuke was yanked to a halt and spun around. He really should have known better, he supposed. After all, his mother had been the one who had trained him.

Emiko actually looked madder, a feat that Daisuke had not thought possible. "Don't try and run away from me," she snapped. "And you know exactly what I'm talking about." She let him go and glared at him.

_You should probably just get it over with._ Dark sounded sympathetic.

Daisuke sighed and straightened. "Is this about Hiwatari-kun?" he asked tiredly.

"I saw Nishimura's mother at the restaurant this evening," Emiko said in a deadly calm voice. Emphasis on the 'deadly'. "She wanted to congratulate me for your performance in the play. She said that you and the Hiwatari boy had wonderful onstage chemistry, but that was to be expected, she supposed, since, after all, you were **dating**."

Daisuke cringed. "Well—"

"What were you thinking?" she bellowed, abruptly losing her calm veneer. "He's a **Hikari**, Daisuke! He's the enemy!"

"First of all, he's my friend," Daisuke shot back bravely. "Second, that's all we are. Friends. We're not dating."

Emiko did not look pacified. "Nishimura's mother seemed to think otherwise," she said, folding her arms.

"It's an act," Daisuke began.

"An act?! Why would you want to pretend to be dating **him**?!"

He could see his dad and grandfather peeking out from the kitchen, curious but apparently reluctant to get involved. Clearly, there would be no help from that corner. Daisuke sighed. "People just started to assume that we were together after Riku-san and I broke up."

"Why?"

"He was the only one who would talk to me afterwards, and we just started studying together," Daisuke explained uncomfortably.

Emiko frowned. "Just because two boys study together does not mean they're gay!"

"Maybe not when you were in middle school…" Daisuke winced, wishing he could take those words back.

No such luck. "What does THAT mean?"

_Oh, that was dumb, Daisuke._

_You know, Dark, a little help would a lot handier than smart-aleck comments. _

_Tell her why you did it_, Dark advised.

"Are you implying I'm old?" Emiko asked, clearly affronted.

"No!" Daisuke said quickly, eyes wide. "Not at all."

His mother sniffed, and the redhead sighed deeply. "Anyway, people started thinking that we were dating, and Hiwatari-kun—" He saw his mother grimace, but ignored it, "—and I decided that it would be best to let people think that."

"I still don't understand why," she said disapprovingly, shaking her head.

"Everyone thought I dumped Riku-san for Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke explained. He could feel himself begin to blush painfully, but valiantly continued. "If I let them know that Hiwatari-kun and I weren't dating, then everyone would want to know the real reason I broke up with Riku-san."

"Couldn't you have just made something else up?" Emiko asked with a sigh.

"This is just a temporary arrangement, until everyone forgets about it," Daisuke replied.

His mother was only slightly mollified and clearly not happy about the situation. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Daisuke sighed. "None of us think it's a good idea, but it's the only choice we have right now. It's either that, or we tell the Harada twins the truth."

Emiko winced, as did Daiki and Kosuke behind her. "Well…if it's only temporary…" she said with a small scowl.

"Yes," Daisuke said quickly. "Only temporary." He edged towards the far end of the hall and the safety of his room.

_You know, we may just get out of this after all_, Dark said with relief.

"Just one question," she said coolly. "Was this your idea…or his?"

Daisuke flinched. "Umm…"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I knew it!"

_Never mind. _

"Mom," he sighed.

"He has some sort of plan, some scheme where he's going to use this to capture you," she said with true concern. "Daisuke, this is a trap."

Daisuke frowned. "Mom, he's my friend."

"Are you sure?" she challenged.

"Of course!" he shot back, stung. "He's doing this as a favor to me, so Harada-san and Riku-san don't harass me about the reason I left."

"He's in charge of capturing you, Daisuke!" she said with a shake of her head.

"No," he said stubbornly. "He's in charge of catching **Dark**. If he wanted to catch **me**, he could have done so a dozen times already."

Emiko's eyes widened in surprise. "What?!"

"And he hasn't!" Daisuke continued hotly. "Hiwatari-kun wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"But he's the enemy," Emiko sighed in utter frustration at her inability to get through to her son. "He's a **Hikari**, Daisuke."

"So what?" Daisuke shot back. "I'm not going to hate him because of his family. He's a good person, even if he is a Hikari. He's my friend, Mom, and I'm not going to give that up!"

He bolted past her for the stairs, past the rest of his startled family, and raced up to his room, slamming the door. Throwing himself on the sofa, he buried his face in a pillow and scowled fiercely.

_Whoa, calm down, Daisuke_, Dark told him. _Your blood pressure is going to go through the roof._

_It's just so unfair!_ he said in irritation. _She's not even trying to understand._

_She's been bred to hate the Hikari_, the thief explained gently. _You can't undo thirty-five years of hate in a day._

_But—_

_She's trying to protect you. Emiko loves you very much, and she's worried. And it's true, some of the previous Hikari would have seized on something like this and used it to capture you in a heartbeat…that is, if those Hikari had **had** hearts._

_But Hiwatari-kun isn't like that! _Daisuke said, sitting up and pummeling the pillow in frustration.

_You know that, and I know that,_ Dark replied, _but she doesn't._

Daisuke scowled again.

_Give her time, Daisuke. Emiko'll get over it._

The redhead laughed shortly. _Before or after she kills me for shouting at her, running away, and then slamming my door?_

The thief considered this for a moment. _Good question…maybe you should sneak out to go to school in the morning._

Daisuke sighed and flopped back onto the couch. _Yeah, 'cause she wouldn't get even madder about doing that._

_Well, stay up here until it's almost time for school. And then she can't scream at you for very long or you'll be late. _

_Although, it was kind of weird…_Daisuke commented absently, studying the stars through his skylight. _Mom didn't yell at me for pretending to be dating a guy, just about doing it with Hiwatari-kun._

_She probably didn't get to it, _Dark said dismissively.

_But I thought she'd be angrier about me pretending to be gay,_ the redhead mused. _I mean, what do you think, Dark?_

_About what?_

_About…well, you know…two guys dating. For real._

Dark was silent for a moment. _Is this a hypothetical question, or about you and Hiwatari?_

_Hypothetical!_ Daisuke could feel his face getting red, and buried it in the pillow again.

_Well,_ the phantom thief sighed. _Do you want my true opinion?_

_Yes,_ the redhead replied, seriously interested now.

_It's been my experience that love, a real love, happens infrequently enough that people should accept what they get, regardless of the sex or race or color of the person who loves them._

_Wow_, Daisuke said slowly.

_What?_

He shrugged. _That was just really philosophical. _

_I am capable of being serious every once in a while_, Dark said in a hurt tone.

Daisuke smiled. _I didn't really expect you to approve. I mean, since you definitely like girls._

He could **feel** the thief's dreamy smile. _Yeah, I like girls, especially the curvy kind in police uniform…_ Then Dark grew serious. _I've had my one love, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't reject it just if the other person happened to be male. _

Daisuke nodded.

_Right, enough seriousness for one day!_ Dark said cheerfully. _You'll need plenty of sleep in order to face Emiko and Saehara tomorrow. _


	35. Chapter 20: November 30

ASN: This is such a short chapter, I decided to go ahead and post it for you guys. This will probably be the last 2-chapter posting for a while, since chapters should get pretty long again. Enjoy!

**Chapter 20: November 30**

Daisuke managed to get out of the house with just two cold stares from his mother sent in his direction. He tried his very best to avoid Saehara, but was only able to stay out of his way until lunch. Unfortunately, the reporter caught sight of him just as he and Satoshi were heading upstairs.

"Hey, you two! Come here!"

He glanced at Satoshi. "Should we pretend we didn't hear him?"

"No," Satoshi told him, though the idea did seem to tempt him. "He would just follow us. We might as well spend the time down here today."

"Guys!" Saehara leapt on Daisuke's back, sending the redhead to his knees. "Isn't it a great day?!"

"Yeah," Daisuke groaned, heaving his friend off of him. "What about it?"

Saehara slung an arm around Daisuke's neck, dragging the teen down the hall toward the courtyard as he babbled. Satoshi followed reluctantly.

"I just wanted to thank you for coming yesterday. It went really well, don't ya think?" He elbowed Daisuke. "She really warmed up to me after dinner. I could tell."

Daisuke pulled away and sat on the nearest bench, rubbing his neck. "Did she?"

"Oh, yeah!" Saehara plopped down next to him and leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a dull roar. "She even said she might call me sometime."

"How nice." Daisuke tried to sound enthusiastic; he really did. It didn't help that Satoshi was still standing behind Saehara with a complete deadpan expression on his face.

"Anyway, I just wanted to express my gratitude. I mean, if you didn't shoot her down like that, she never would have turned to me for comfort."

Daisuke's mouth dropped. "What—? I didn't shoot her down! I would never do that!"

"Oh, come on, Daisuke. Hiwatari and I aren't going to tell anyone," Saehara told him.

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "Niwa? Didn't you need help with math?"

Daisuke gratefully seized upon the excuse. "Oh, yeah! Sorry, Saehara, I'll talk to you later."

Saehara waved cheerfully as they walked off. "You two have fun!" he called. Loudly.

Both Satoshi and Daisuke cringed.

_Wow. Could he ruin your lives any better if he tried?_

_Let's not find out,_ Daisuke responded.

"So what do you think is wrong with this one?" Satoshi asked him with vague curiosity as they walked along the deserted side of the courtyard.

Daisuke looked at him. "What?"

"Saehara has the worst taste in females that I have ever seen," Satoshi stated. "His first crush was a girl who had been dead for forty years, and his second was a—interesting."

Daisuke got the feeling that Satoshi had changed his words halfway through the sentence. "Hio-san wasn't that bad."

"Hmm."

"Was she?" Daisuke asked, looking at the commander closely.

Satoshi looked back at him for a moment. "You're right…she wasn't that bad," he said at last.

The redhead frowned, but he let it go. "I don't know—Hashimoto-san seemed nice enough."

_In addition to being hot,_ Dark commented.

_Dark, nice guys don't make that kind of comment. _

Dark leered. _And how far do nice guys get? _

Daisuke closed his eyes. _Ahhh! Bad thoughts! _

"Niwa?" Satoshi sounded slightly amused. "Are you all right?"

"Dark has a…very high opinion of Hashimoto-san," Daisuke told him with a grimace.

_I always like a lady in uniform. _

"Personally, I tend to rate Dark's taste in females around the same level as Saehara's."

_Hey! _

Daisuke laughed. Satoshi gave him a small, barely noticeable sideways grin as they passed by a large flowering shrub. "So, do you really need help in math?"

"Probably," Daisuke admitted, "But I'll worry about it when the test comes."

_Daisuke,_ Dark interrupted suddenly, sounding serious. _Riku's coming up behind you. _

Daisuke's eyes widened in alarm, and he stopped and took a step closer to Satoshi. The commander looked sharply at him, slight surprise in his eyes.

"Niwa-kun!" Riku called. "Have you seen Risa anywhere?"

At the sound of Riku's voice, Satoshi nodded in understanding and didn't pull away.

Daisuke turned around, smiling at her. "No, I haven't." Then the smile faded. "Is she missing?"

"Kaseda-sensei is looking for her," Riku explained, absently tugging on her necklace. "She needs to redo a cooking project."

"Oh, no," Daisuke said sympathetically. "We'll keep an eye out for her."

Riku stiffened, just a little. "Thank you, Niwa-kun." Her smile was a little more forced. "Hiwatari."

"Harada," he acknowledged.

With that, she turned and ran back towards the school.

As soon as she was out of sight, Daisuke stepped away from Satoshi. "Sorry about crowding you there."

"It's understandable," Satoshi assured him. "I wouldn't have agreed to do this if I had a problem."

"Yeah," Daisuke grinned at him. "Thanks."

With that, the two boys walked down the courtyard to find a Saehara-free place to eat lunch.

And entirely unbeknownst to them, as soon as they were gone, the shrub rustled. Harada Risa crawled out from her hiding place and stared after the pair, a thoughtful frown on her face.


	36. Chapter 21: November 30

ASN: Good morning! We just have a quick technical issue to go over before today's chapter.

AN: (grins) And what a chapter it is…  
ASN: (chiding) Stop that. Anyway, it has come to our attention that sometimes the fact that we've updated isn't showing up on Lessa's author page.

AN: This site has some…**interesting** issues.

ASN: When you actually click on Interesting Times, it will show the new chapters and latest update, even though it says on the main page that the story wasn't updated.

AN: We do update every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, no matter what the author page says.

ASN: I generally update in the morning before class, but depending on how late I am, sometimes updates may not appear until the afternoon.

AN: Is that everything we needed to go over?

ASN: I think so.

AN: Right, back to your regularly scheduled slash! Enjoy!

**Chapter 21: November 30**

"You know," Daisuke commented as he and Satoshi walked home that day, "I've been thinking about Rika-san and Dark lately. And…I feel kinda bad about leaving the Harada twins in the dark about all of this – pun not intended!" he added when he saw Satoshi wince. "It's just…I really cared about Riku-san, and even Harada-san to some degree, once I got over the first crush feelings. I feel like it cheapens our past relationship, because I'm not telling her the truth."

Satoshi was thoughtfully silent for a moment. "Niwa," he said finally, "It's your decision. Bear in mind if you tell them, you'll have to explain to them who and what you are."

"You mean about Dark?"

"Well, you can't really explain them being Dark's, or rather your grandfather's, grandchildren without mentioning Dark," Satoshi commented dryly.

"Yeah," Daisuke sighed, "But it would be nice to stop hiding. We were really good friends before this whole thing began."

_Do I get a vote?_ Dark interjected.

_Sure. What do you think?_

_Well, it would make life much more interesting if they knew, and I personally don't think that it's a real good idea, but all in all, it's your decision. I know Hiwatari already said that, but, unfortunately, he's right._

"Dark says you're right," Daisuke said slowly, shocked.

_Don't tell him that! I have a reputation, you know!_

Satoshi stared at him, his eyes glinting with silent amusement. "Does he?"

_No! No I don't!_

"To some degree," Daisuke allowed.

"Ah."

_You know what I said about you and Hiwatari being a bad couple? I take it back! You two are perfect for each other!_ Dark spat.

_Dark,_ the redhead protested.

The phantom thief's voice resonated with vindictive glee. _And hey, remember Hiwatari's brief stint as a cross-dresser? At least he cleans up nice._

_DARK!_

"What did he say now?" Satoshi asked curiously.

Daisuke jumped. "W-what makes you think Dark said something?"

"You have that traumatized look," the commander explained patiently.

_Cheer up, Daisuke, _Dark continued merrily. _At least you're still wearing the pants in this relationship. _

**_DARK!_**

"And now you're blushing," Satoshi continued calmly.

"Can we please drop this?" Daisuke begged both of them.

_Drop what?_ Dark's tone was positively lascivious.

Daisuke gasped, tripping over his own feet in shock. _PERVERT!_

_Revenge is sweet, Daisuke. _

_Why does the world think that torturing me is fun?! _Daisuke wailed.

The commander sighed and, gently taking the redhead by the elbow, led him to a nearby bench. "Niwa, you need to sit down before you fall down."

_Awww, how sweet! _Dark cooed.

Daisuke shuddered as he flopped onto the bench. Dark cooing was a scary, scary thing.

Satoshi sat down next to him. "Are you going to tell me what he said?"

"No!" Daisuke's eyes widened in embarrassed horror.

_Oh come on, coward_,Dark prodded gleefully. _I wanna tell him now!_

"He's making fun of me," the redhead whimpered, dropping his head into his hands.

"I gathered that." Satoshi leaned back and stared up at the trees surrounding the little park.

Daisuke looked up as well. The sunlight fell dappled through the leaves. "Riku-san and I sat here once."

_The parallels are cute, in a sickening sort of way,_ Dark commented.

Daisuke glowered. _I can't take you anywhere!_

_And yet, you can't stop me,_ Dark said blissfully. _Sucks for you._

_Whatever I said to make you mad, I'm sorry, okay?_

_You have tarnished my sarcastic and carefree reputation in front of the Honorable Commander. It will take more than a mere half-hearted apology to make this right._

Daisuke glanced at Hiwatari. _What if I told him you didn't mean it?_

_He's not stupid, Daisuke. You're gonna have to do better than that, or the next time I pull a heist I'll take more than his glasses._

The teen turned to Satoshi, placed his arm along the back of the bench and leaned forward to speak. "Look, Hiwatari-kun, about what I said earlier…"

"Am I interrupting something?" came a distinctly cool female voice.

Daisuke tried not to jump and failed miserably. "H-Harada-san!"

Satoshi did not look overly pleased at Risa's sudden arrival. "Harada…we didn't hear you."

"You looked busy," she said, disapproval written all over her face.

"Well, we…uh…" Once again, Daisuke knew he was blushing and yet could do nothing to stop it.

Dark was laughing his head off and being generally unhelpful.

Risa loomed over the two. "Look, you guys have a very nice act, but I know you're not dating, and the fact that you're pretending to isn't fair to Riku."

The two boys blinked at her, thrown off guard by her bluntness. "What?" Daisuke asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "I think that you made this entire dating thing up to cover up the true reason why you dumped Riku."

Daisuke's mouth dropped open. "I…"

Satoshi looked at Daisuke, apparently wanting a clue as to how to act, but the redhead could only shrug helplessly.

The commander turned back to Risa. "You've gotten to be remarkably intuitive, Harada," he said mildly.

She simply folded her arms. "Tell me the truth."

"The truth?" he repeated.

"Yes," she said firmly.

Satoshi opened his mouth…and Daisuke panicked.

_I can't do it! They can't know! I can't do it! I can't tell them!_

_Then you'd better shut him up pretty quick, cause he's about to reveal all,_ Dark said urgently.

Daisuke blithered for a moment.

"There's one thing we have to establish first—" Satoshi began.

_For God's sake, Daisuke, **stop him**!_

And in his panicking, Daisuke did the only thing he could think of.

He reached out and tugged Satoshi's sleeve. Startled, the commander turned towards him, and Daisuke did the unthinkable.

He leaned forward and firmly, desperately, kissed him.

Risa squeaked.

_Um, Daisuke, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind… _

Satoshi tensed, and Daisuke grabbed the edge of his sleeve and pulled him closer. After a moment, the commander relaxed and shifted slightly, actually kissing him back.

A part of Daisuke's mind noted the faint sound of shoes on gravel and concluded that Risa had fled.

_Daisuke…she's gone. You can stop now. _

Daisuke slowly pulled back. Satoshi was staring at him, eyes wide and shocked. For once, the mask was gone and an unnamable emotion was in its place.

"What…" Satoshi's voice was half an octave lower than usual, and he took a deep breath. "What was that fo—" He stopped, convulsively pressing his hand to his chest. "Shit," he gasped.

"Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke asked, reaching out.

Satoshi batted his hand away and shot up, grabbed his bag, and bolted.

"Hiwatari-kun!" Upset and worried, Daisuke was up and ready to head after him.

_Stop! Daisuke, **stop**!_

_But Hiwatari—_ the redhead protested, staring off in the direction that the other boy had ran.

_You need to leave him alone right now, Daisuke._

_But I don't know what happened!_

Dark sighed. _Repeat after me. 'I just kissed Hiwatari Satoshi'._

_But—_

_Daisuke! Repeat what I just said, dammit! _

Daisuke wrinkled his brow in confusion. _Do I have to? _

_**Yes! **_

'_I just kissed Hiwatari Satoshi.' _

'_However, his real name is Hikari Satoshi and he has a possessive psychopath living in his head.' _Dark continued relentlessly.

'_His real name is Hika—' Oh. _

_Yeah. 'Oh.' _

Daisuke fell back on the bench as the consequences of his actions finally hit him. _Oh god, Dark, what did I just do?_

Dark exhaled impatiently. _I'm guessing you don't need me to sarcastically say that you just kissed the one person in the world who has the most reason to want to do you harm. _He paused. _I don't need to say that, right?_

_No, I got that part loud and clear,_ Daisuke said softly.

There was silence for a moment. _Do you think he's okay? _Daisuke asked hesitantly.

_Well, since Krad isn't currently here ripping you into tiny pieces, I'd have to guess that both of you will survive today. _

Daisuke buried his head in his hands. _What am I going to say to him tomorrow? Will he even talk to me ever again? Why did I do that?!_

_Look at the bright side, Daisuke. At least Risa won't bother you again. _

_She'll tell the entire school!_ Daisuke gasped.

He could feel Dark shrugging. _At least it's nothing they don't already think they know. _

_Dark!_

_What do you want me to say?_ the thief asked exasperatedly. _That it's all going to be okay in the morning? I can't do that, Daisuke. Whatever you meant to do, you just radically altered the relationship between you and Hiwatari. What happens next is up to him._

Daisuke sighed. _Yeah…_

XXXXX

_That impertinent little upstart! How **dare** he touch what belongs to me! _

Satoshi flicked the lock on his apartment door and bent over, breathing heavily from running home. _I don't…belong…to you, _he said between gasps.

_You don't belong to him, either,_ Krad snarled within his mind.

_I don't belong to anyone,_ Satoshi said firmly.

_You are a Hikari, and you are mine! I won't let anyone have you, especially not one of those filthy Niwa!_

_I am not yours, and I am not a Hikari._

_But you're not really a Hiwatari, either, _Krad retorted, coiling within Satoshi's mind. _Then what are you?_

_I am my own person._

Krad laughed derisively. _No matter how much you protest, Satoshi-sama, you are a Hikari. You cannot hide from your true name, no matter how hard you try. My very presence proves that you're a Hikari through and through._

_No._

_You're a Hikari. And the Hikari belong to me. _

_Screw you,_ Satoshi snapped, then gasped as pain rippled through his mind.

_How childishly vulgar, Satoshi-sama. That boy has definitely been a bad influence on you. I shall have to deal with that._

Satoshi fell to the floor on his hands and knees as he fought to keep the demon within him controlled. _Leave him alone, dammit! _

Krad fought back, pushing his will against Satoshi's, trying to escape. Satoshi strained to hold him in check, but could feel his fragile barricades starting to buckle under the pressure. Then, suddenly, Krad subsided.

_If the Niwa touches you again, I will kill him_, he said with conviction.

_If you kill him, I will kill you_, Satoshi stated with equal conviction.

Krad laughed. _Kill me? The only way to do that would be to kill yourself. _

_I know,_ Satoshi said calmly.

The laughing stopped abruptly. _You wouldn't._

Satoshi shrugged as he got back up, firmly back in control. _If you kill him, or hurt him, I guess we'll find out, won't we?_


	37. Part 3: Chapter 1: December 1

Part 3: December

**Chapter 1: December 1**

The next morning, Daisuke dragged his feet as the school came into sight. _What am I going to say to Hiwatari-kun?_

Silence.

_Dark, I could use some help here._

_I dunno, Daisuke. You could tell him the truth, that you panicked. _

_Yeah...should I apologize?_

_Are you sorry? _Dark asked cryptically.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

_Shit, _Dark said suddenly. _Whatever you decide to do, do it quick. Hiwatari's right there!_

Daisuke looked up to find Satoshi leaning against the wall outside the gate, waiting.

"Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke said nervously. "Um, look, I panicked—"

Satoshi held up a hand, and Daisuke fell silent. "Do you still want this charade to continue?" he asked seriously.

"What?" Daisuke was confused.

"The fiction of us, together," the older boy explained coolly. "Do you still want to go on with it?"

_Why is he asking me this?_

_I think he's offering you the chance to go on as if nothing happened, Daisuke. _"Yes…" Daisuke said slowly.

Satoshi nodded. "We'd better go in then."

Daisuke nodded and followed slowly, with the uncomfortable feeling that there was something else he should have said.

XXXXX

Niwa had disappeared with the ease and agility of a phantom thief as soon as the bell for lunch rang, but Satoshi had expected that. Daisuke had spent all morning looking guilty and uneasy whenever the redhead's gaze met his own cool stare. As a result, Satoshi was understandably surprised as the creak of the roof's door revealed Niwa at the top of the stairwell.

"Is it okay if I eat with you?" he asked tentatively.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Satoshi shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right, of course," Daisuke said brightly. Too brightly. "So did you understand anything in chemistry this morning? I really didn't understand the whole bit about catalysts, although that could have been because Saehara kept poking me. I'm not sure if he actually wanted my attention or if he was just poking me for fun…"

"Niwa," Satoshi sighed as Daisuke continued to babble, trying to fill the uneasiness between them with words.

"And I missed ten minutes of instructions and then I didn't know what the experiment was supposed to show…"

"Niwa," Satoshi said again, sympathetic to his plight but beginning to get irritated.

Daisuke continued to chatter nervously, oblivious to the other boy's growing impatience. "And then my beaker exploded and Masahiro just sat there and laughed…"

"Niwa."

"And then when I went to turn in my history homework, it turns out Mom had spilled strawberry jam on the edge and With had chewed on it…"

Satoshi closed his eyes in exasperation. "**Niwa**!" The redhead stopped in mid-babble and stared at him, eyes wide. The commander sighed. "It's okay."

Daisuke continued to gape at him, eyes wide and wary.

"Okay?" Satoshi asked carefully.

Daisuke studied him intently for another long moment, and then, slowly, started to smile. "Okay."

In his relief, Satoshi couldn't hold back a small smile. "Okay. So, about the Second Hand of Time..."

XXXXX

In an effort to keep family relations from degenerating any further, Daisuke didn't stay too long after school researching with Satoshi. He figured that, while it might be a good idea to stay out of his mom's way until she calmed down, staying out of his mom's way—withSatoshi—would in no way contribute to the calming down process.

_Chill out, Daisuke,_ Dark suggested._ She fumed yesterday; it's out of her system. I'm certain she'll have the usual traps set up and waiting for you tonight as an apology. _

Daisuke sighed. _If that's Mom's way of apologizing…_

Dark just chuckled.

Sure enough, the hallway was completely empty when Daisuke swung the front door open—and that was never a good sign. _What do you think she had planned today?_

_Trapdoors, tripwires, and anvils hanging from the ceiling. _

Daisuke raised an eyebrow. _Anvils?_

_What? Emiko is creative. _

As usual, Daisuke picked the spot that looked the most untrustworthy and dropped his backpack there. Nothing happened. He cautiously took a few steps forward; still nothing.

_Maybe she didn't do anything,_ Daisuke commented.

_Now that you've said that—_

The very next tile Daisuke stepped on fell out from under him, revealing a pit full of spikes.

—_something will happen,_ Dark finished.

Daisuke threw himself forward and almost cleared the pit. His right foot caught the far edge of the hole, sending him sprawling forward. As he went down, he noticed the faint squiggly lines that indicated pressure-sensitive floor sensors. Daisuke got his hands underneath him and caught himself, nose a few centimeters above the ground. He froze there for a second, arms carefully placed on either side of the sensor, quivering with the strain. A motion sensor flickered into life ten centimeters above his back.

_Oh…_ Daisuke's voice trailed off.

_I believe the word you're looking for is 'shit,'_ Dark said helpfully.

Daisuke remained in his frozen push-up position as he tried to decide what to do. _Thanks._

_Anytime._

The redhead gathered himself and launched forward, turning his lunge into a tight somersault.

_You know, Daisuke,_ the thief began conversationally, _you really should swear more. Wall sensor,_ he warned suddenly.

Daisuke stopped his roll right before he hit the hidden pad with his elbow. _If I started swearing, Mom would kill me._

_She hasn't succeeded yet,_ Dark commented dryly.

The teen grinned slightly and took a step forward, catching his foot on an almost-transparent string. A slight creak came from the direction of the ceiling. Daisuke threw himself back, and a foam-rubber anvil landed with a thud in front of him.

_See?! I told you!_ Dark crowed triumphantly. _Trapdoors, tripwires, and anvils!_

Daisuke stared at the anvil blankly. _You and my mother think so much alike that it is truly disturbing._

Dark shrugged, and Daisuke walked through the kitchen door. "I'm home," he began.

Emiko appeared out of nowhere and hugged him tightly. "Wonderful job, Daisuke!"

"Can't…breathe," Daisuke gasped. His mom released him, and stepped back. Í guess this means you're not mad anymore," he asked hopefully.

The smile slid from Emiko's face, and she sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. "You're old enough to make your own decisions, Daisuke. And I guess if you two have been pretending for this long and nothing has happened, it might be okay. But, Daisuke, I want you to be on your guard. I know you think the Hikari is your friend…"

"Mom," Daisuke began hotly, but Emiko waved a hand, cutting him off.

"Listen to me for a minute," she said softly. "Just…be careful, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you."

Daisuke sighed. "I know." He walked over and gave her a small hug. "It'll be okay, Mom."

She gave him a small smile, but suddenly grew serious.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked nervously, backing up a step.

Emiko stood and put her hands on her hips. "I can't believe you **actually** activated that trip wire I set to bring down the anvil. It was **obvious** if you were paying attention," she scolded.

_That's my Emiko,_ Dark said proudly.

"Mom…"

"Really, Daisuke, I taught you better than that! I have half a mind to have your grandfather run you through the beginner's exercises again if you fall for something that obvious!"

And as Emiko continued to lecture him, Daisuke sighed.

_What?_ Dark asked curiously.

_You know, my life was a lot quieter when she was mad at me._

XXXXX

Satoshi approached the museum. As usual, the entire perimeter was ringed with police, and a crowd of spectators, mostly women, were milling around excitedly.

Inspector Saehara was talking animatedly with a man in plainclothes. Satoshi ducked under one of the cordons and walked toward them.

The man saw him first, and turned to face him impatiently. "Look kid, this area is restricted to police. You need to go back," he snapped.

Inspector Saehara winced.

Satoshi gazed at him coolly and dispassionately, as if he were dissecting the man with his eyes. "You must be Hashimoto-san," he said finally.

"And you are?" the man asked, a trifle warily.

"Hiwatari Satoshi."

"Ah." Hashimoto looked him over calculatedly. "Hiwatari-san's told me about you. So tell me, are you his prodigy or his protégé?"

"Whichever you prefer," Satoshi said neutrally.

"And how old are you?" the man asked, smiling slightly.

"Um, right," the inspector interrupted. "I'm going to check to make sure the men have their instructions." And with that, he vanished more quickly than Satoshi had thought possible by anyone not Niwa.

"I don't see how my age is relevant," he answered. "I'm sure you are familiar with my qualifications."

"Oh yes," Hashimoto said, leaning against a squad car and casually folding his arms across his chest. "Graduated from Lagoon University in Germany at the age of thirteen, double majoring in art history and criminal science. Finished training as a police officer in a few months. You mainly did research on art thefts for the couple years, and then Hiwatari appointed you as special commander in charge of catching Dark." He raised an eyebrow. "Surprised?"

"No," Satoshi said calmly. "I expected nothing less from a man who has specialized in art thefts since his own training days, a man who has the distinction of recovering over 90 of the art that he seeks, the man in this country who has had the most art-related arrests to his name in the past seven years."

Hashimoto looked taken aback for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Nicely done, Commander. Perhaps you are useful, at that."

Annoyance flashed in Satoshi's eyes. "Now that we have established that I do indeed have the right to be here, may I ask why you are here?"

The man smiled, composure regained. "I'm here to help, Commander."

"The gesture is appreciated, but unnecessary," Satoshi replied.

"Of course," Hashimoto said casually. "You have it all under control."

Satoshi frowned.

"And yet, Dark continues to slip out of your grasp," the man continued. "So some of the higher powers decided that maybe it was time to call in a specialist. As you apparently know my qualifications, you have to admit that perhaps they had a point."

"This is my case," Satoshi stated icily.

Hashimoto smiled humorlessly. "Not anymore."

"There he is!" came a shout from one of the officers. Dark's winged figure could be clearly seen off in the distance. The crowd started to rumble excitedly.

Satoshi cursed silently and started to run toward his position on the ground floor stairwell, but a sharp tug at the back of his shirt nearly pulled him off his feet. He whirled and glared at the man who had grabbed his shirt collar.

The officer smiled. "I'm in charge tonight, young Hiwatari. Stay here with me and let me show you how it's done."

Exercising a great amount of self-control, Satoshi merely nodded and stood next to the man. Inwardly, however, he was seething at the man's presumption.

Hashimoto was studying the aerial thief with interest. "What kind of device is he using to stay up there?" he murmured. "It moves almost like a bird."

Satoshi bit his tongue on the retort he was about to make, and instead kept his gaze on the sky. As he expected, Dark posed there long enough to make an impression, then disappeared.

Hashimoto yanked the walkie-talkie off his belt and began barking commands. From the garbled mess of confused exclamations and muttered curse words, it was fairly evident that Dark was running rings around Azumano's finest again.

"Look," Hashimoto snapped. "Just follow the plan. Surround him, pin him in a corner, and take him down!"

A distressed squawk was only answer.

"What the hell—he's outnumbered by twenty to one! What do you mean you can't catch him?!"

The sound of shattering glass, both from over the walkie-talkie and also from above, caught the two officers' attention. They looked up just in time to see Dark throw himself out the broken window with the painting triumphantly clutched under one arm. The phantom thief fell until he was about four meters above the ground before unfurling his wings and dramatically taking flight once again.

Hashimoto cast a sideways glance at Satoshi, who was carefully maintaining a deadpan expression. The man's eyes narrowed, and he held the walkie-talkie to his mouth once more.

"Snipers, execute," he barked.

Satoshi's head snapped around to stare at the man. "Snipers?!"

The sound of several muted shots rang in the distance.

The older officer stared down at Satoshi with a slight smile. "Don't worry, commander, they're just tranquilizer darts. He should be able to make it to the ground before it takes full effect."

Eyes hard, Satoshi didn't answer, but instead he pointedly looked back at the flying thief. Dark was gracefully avoiding each shot, dipping and twirling in midair as the darts flew by him.

"That's not possible," Hashimoto said disbelievingly. "No personal flying device can move like that."

Eventually, the snipers ran out of darts and Dark ceased his aerial acrobatics. The crowd cheered. As a finale, Dark buzzed over the bunched officers, moving only a meter over their heads, causing them to duck and run. He swooped down over Satoshi and Hashimoto, graced them with an obscene gesture, and flew off into the night.

Satoshi glanced back at the dumbfounded expression on Hashimoto's face. He wanted very much to toss the man's boasts back in his face, but realized that, satisfying as it would be, discretion would probably be more desirable in maintaining his working relationships at headquarters. And so, not wanting to make any enemies, Satoshi simply turned and walked towards Inspector Saehara to see what had gone wrong this time.


	38. Chapter 2: December 2

ASN: I know, I know, this is a really short chapter, but Sunday's chapter is really long. I promise.

**Chapter 2: December 2**

Satoshi stalked into his father's office the next morning, bypassing the startled secretary with a single glare. He stopped in front of his father's desk and stared at the man, waiting.

Hiwatari glanced up from his work. He did not look surprised to see him. "Good morning, Satoshi. Sit down."

"Did you authorize this?" he asked coldly, continuing to stand.

The man put his pen down and leaned back in his chair. "I assume you're talking about last night's debacle."

"Who put Hashimoto in charge?" Satoshi demanded. "The man was clearly unprepared to deal with a thief of Dark's capabilities."

"The chief of police invited Hashimoto to come and assist."

"He discussed this with you, of course," the teen stated rather than asked.

Hiwatari nodded, a small but wary smile on his face. "He was very enthusiastic about it."

Satoshi's eyes narrowed. "You could have vetoed his coming. One word in the planning stages was all it would have taken to convince them not to ask him."

"It was none of my doing," Hiwatari protested mildly.

The commander stared down at him expressionlessly. The two locked gazes for a minute, but Hiwatari looked away first.

"I thought we had agreed that no one else would interfere in my investigation," Satoshi said calmly.

Hiwatari leaned forward in his chair and rested his chin on his hands. "I realize that you're upset about Hashimoto taking over so abruptly, but the man does have good ideas and a considerable amount of experience."

Satoshi could not hide his disbelief, and didn't even bother to try. "The man had **tranquilizer darts**! If he had actually managed to hit Dark and the transformation was triggered—"

"Then we would have captured the thieves," Hiwatari finished.

Satoshi glared at him. "A shape-shifting thief that could fly? It would prove that magic exists—do you think the world can handle that?"

He shrugged. "The world will believe what it wants to believe. Saying that the Niwa was good at disguises and had a machine that allowed him to fly will be enough for most of the public."

"You don't appear to understand," Satoshi said coldly. "The goal is to catch Dark, not Niwa."

"One is the same as the other. Perhaps it is you who do not understand." Hiwatari sat up straight and regarded his son with a calculating eye. "You have grown attached to the Niwa, Satoshi. I am more observant than you give me credit for, and I have noticed the two of you together." His eyes grew colder. "You've ignored my instructions to distance yourself from him."

Satoshi's face set. "It's none of your concern."

"I worry about you."

Satoshi doubted that very much.

Hiwatari stood and walked round his desk to him. Satoshi stood his ground. The man placed his hand on Satoshi's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "I'll see what I can do about putting you back in charge," he said, "but Hashimoto will still be around to offer advice. It would probably be wise for you to take it."

Satoshi said nothing for a moment, and Hiwatari's hand on his shoulder grew heavier.

"Satoshi?" he prompted.

"I will take his advice into consideration, as I would all officers with that much experience," Satoshi said neutrally.

A smile appeared on Hiwatari's face with such rapidity that it had to be manufactured. He guided Satoshi toward the door. "I'm glad to hear that, Satoshi. You know I just want the best for you. Hashimoto will provide some fresh ideas."

"Perhaps." Satoshi calmly removed his father's hand from his shoulder and turned to go. "Good day."

"Oh, and Satoshi?"

Slowly, Satoshi turned back to his father. The man smiled brightly at him.

"Please, think about what I said concerning you and the Niwa. He's not good for you."

Years of practice kept Satoshi from saying something that could potentially lead to a loss of temper. Instead, he simply walked out.

He could feel Hiwatari's eyes on him all the way down the hall.

XXXXX

_Tranquilizer darts! What the hell was he thinking?!_ Dark said furiously.

Daisuke's sigh turned into a yawn as he walked toward the school. Dark had been ranting all night, so he hadn't gotten much sleep.

_Guns are cheating, there's no honor in it, _Dark spat. _Damn Hikari, taking everything too seriously._

He could see Satoshi approaching in the distance, pale hair shining in the sun. Daisuke stopped and waited for him.

Satoshi's steps slowed slightly as he came toward him. "Good morning, Niwa," he said calmly.

_Don't 'good morning' us, you bastard!_

"Morning," Daisuke responded, yawning.

Satoshi eyed him thoughtfully. "Are you all right, Niwa?"

Daisuke reached into his pocket, pulling out one of the darts and dropping it into Satoshi's hand. "Dark says you should be glad the painting didn't explode when this hit it," he told him dryly. "We've noticed that when Hikari artwork is poked, it tends to poke back. Violently."

The commander gave the dart a calm once-over glance and slipped it into his bag. "Indeed."

As they continued toward school, Daisuke cast Satoshi a sideways glance. "You could have warned me," he said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice and not entirely succeeding.

Satoshi sighed and said nothing.

Annoyed by Satoshi's apparent indifference, the redhead began to get annoyed. "I really can't believe you would use tranquilizer darts on us, Hiwatari-kun. What if one had actually hit Dark? I could have transformed, and then what would have happened?"

"It wasn't my idea," the commander replied shortly.

"But you're in charge," Daisuke retorted. "You could have stopped them."

"Not last night."

Daisuke stopped and folded his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Satoshi likewise stopped and gazed back at Daisuke. "I wasn't in charge last night. A man named Hashimoto was."

"Hashimoto?" Daisuke's brow furrowed in thought. "Aimi-chan's father?"

"Yes."

_Why is there always **something** wrong with the girls I admire?_ Dark mused petulantly in the back of his mind.

"Why was he there?" Daisuke asked, anger forgotten in his confusion.

"He's a specialist in art theft," Satoshi said coolly. "He was called in to advise on the Dark issue, since I have been doing so poorly."

"Oh." Daisuke gazed down at his feet. "But I thought your father wouldn't interfere."

"Even my father has superior officers," he told him sourly, "And they're not impressed with my performance."

Though Satoshi tried to hide it, Daisuke could tell that the idea of others thinking him incompetent grated on him. Especially when he was in this situation—if he caught Dark, he would have caught Daisuke, too. And if that happened, a new set of problems would emerge. Even if Satoshi had wanted to, he couldn't catch Dark without others finding out about the curse.

He could either win and let the truth about Daisuke and Dark and maybe himself be known, or he could fail.

And that wasn't really a choice at all, was it?

Daisuke gave him a small smile, his way of letting Satoshi know that all was forgiven. "I understand. Unfortunately, the only way I could help you would be to let you catch us, and I doubt Dark would be too keen on that idea."

_Damn straight!_

Satoshi nodded once. "I couldn't let you do that, Niwa…but thank you for even mentioning it."

The smile grew bigger. "I figured. If I can do anything to help, tell me, all right?"

"We'll see," Satoshi responded after a moment of thought.

As they came up to the gates of the school, Daisuke gave him another glance. "One last thing…"

A suspicious look came to the commander's face. "Yes?"

"If at all possible, could you get rid of the guns?"

Surprised, Satoshi blinked at him before giving him a small half-smirk. "You shouldn't have to worry. Hashimoto wasn't too certain of their continued usefulness after Dark's performance last night."

Daisuke could feel Dark grinning. _I did look good, didn't I?_

"Yeah. Dark's pretty proud of himself," he told Satoshi.

"Isn't he always?" he responded.

_What does **that** mean?_

The redhead ran a hand through his hair and chuckled, refusing to respond to either question.


	39. Chapter 3: December 3

**Chapter 3: December 3**

Daisuke took the last four stairs in one gigantic leap…and barely missed landing on With. "Whoa!"

The demon- rabbit squeaked and scurried under the couch, 'kyuuing' at him angrily. Pausing, Daisuke kneeled down and peered at him. "Sorry, With. I'm in a hurry."

With sniffed and crawled further out of reach.

Daisuke stood back up and headed into the kitchen to grab his piece of toast.

"Good morning, Dai-chan!" Emiko sang, as cheerful as ever. "Ready for your day?"

"Always," Daisuke said with a smile as he ran to the door. "I'll see you tonight, all right, Mom?"

"Sooner than that, dear," Emiko called after him.

The door clicked closed behind him, but he swung it right back open. "What?"

Emiko smiled sweetly. "It's Parent's Day, remember? She flushed prettily with excitement. "I'm so excited about coming to see how well you do in class!"

Daisuke's eyes widened. "I forgot all about it!"

"Well, it's a good thing the notice was in your bag then, wasn't it?" Emiko turned back to the stove and started stirring busily. "Dai-chan, you'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed on so tight. Just like Kosuke."

"Wait," the teen's eyes narrowed slightly. "The notice was in my bag?"

Emiko stopped stirring for one fatal second.

"You looked in my bag?!" Daisuke's voice was strident. "Do you usually go through my stuff?"

"Only when you forget to give me important papers," Emiko said serenely. "You need to go, Dai-chan, you're going to be late for school."

His gaze dropped to his watch, and he gasped and ran for the door.

"I'll see you later!" Emiko called cheerfully.

Daisuke didn't waste the time to answer but bolted down the road. _I can't believe she looked through my bag!_

_What's the big deal?_ Dark asked lazily. _It's not like you keep anything incriminating in there. Or even interesting, for that matter._

_Still…_ Daisuke complained. _I have a right to privacy, you know._

_Not with Emiko as a mom,_ Dark said wryly. _Just deal with it, Daisuke. She's only doing it because she cares about you._

Daisuke frowned. _But…_

_Let it go. She won't do it for much longer, I imagine._

_Why do you think that?_ Daisuke asked, curious.

_You're getting older_, was Dark's cryptic answer. _So what's Parent's Day, anyway?_

_It's a day when your parents can come and watch a class. This year they're coming to watch the last period, and we can show them around the school after class is over if we want._

Dark was silent for a minute. _Why would anyone want to come watch their kid go to school?_

Daisuke shrugged. _I don't know. Must be a parent thing. Anyway, now I have to make sure I answer a question in class so Mom won't yell at me for not participating._

As the Dark and Daisuke eventually approached the school, Daisuke could see Satoshi leaning against the wall waiting for him.

"Hiwatari-kun!" the redhead waved.

Satoshi walked over. "Niwa."

The two teens fell into step. "So," Daisuke began, "Is your dad coming for Parent's Day?"

"No," the older boy said shortly. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Daisuke asked hesitantly.

Satoshi turned his head slowly and looked at Daisuke coolly. "It's not something he would do," he said finally.

"Oh." The two boys walked along in silence.

_Do you think Hiwatari-kun and his dad have issues?_ the redhead asked Dark softly.

The thief snorted. _Daisuke, the Hikari have always been a walking bundle of issues. The Honorable Commander isn't any different._

"I'm sorry he's not coming," Daisuke offered quietly.

Satoshi shook his head. "Don't be."

They could hear the excited chatter from the classroom even before they opened the door. Saehara jumped on Daisuke as soon as he entered.

"My dad said he might come if nothing horrible happens!" he said eagerly, squeezing tightly.

Daisuke tried to choke out a response and failed miserably.

Nishimura rescued him from strangulation, but he was clearly excited about Parent's Day as well. "My mom and dad said that they would come. Are your parents coming?"

"Yeah, I think so," Daisuke said hoarsely, gingerly rubbing his sore throat and glaring mildly at Saehara, who blissfully ignored it. And it was only then that he noticed Satoshi had disappeared from his side.

"Settle down," the sensei said indulgently. "It's time to go back to your seats. We're going to go over our lessons extra-carefully today."

The crowd of animatedly-talking students parted for a moment, and Daisuke finally saw Satoshi. The pale-haired teen was at his desk reading, the only student in the class who was seated. He was deeply absorbed in the book, apparently oblivious to everyone around him.

"All right, sit down now," the sensei said, no longer indulgent.

The redhead couldn't help the frown as he sat down at his desk and the sensei began her lesson.

It was the first time that Daisuke had noticed how very alone Satoshi was.

XXXXX

Satoshi sighed and slowly packed up his books as the day finally ended. He tried not to pay any attention to the horde of parents milling around behind him, talking amongst themselves and speaking to the sensei. The Parent's Day tradition had always struck him as a bit of waste, since most of the day was spent in preparation of their arrival. Satoshi personally thought that it would be more efficient to just make it a holiday and give everyone the day off school. That way, the parents could watch their children in the comfort of their own home, and Satoshi could use his time doing research or something equally useful instead of wasting the entire day watching teachers try and whip their students into something resembling a model class.

_Bitter, Satoshi-sama?_ came Krad's soft, mocking murmur. _Could it be that you really want someone to stand in the back and care about how well you perform? _The curse sniffed. _How plebian._

_Don't comment on something you know nothing about,_ Satoshi said coldly.

_But I do know. I know you,_ Krad purred. _I know what you want._

_If you know what I want, then why aren't you being quiet?_ the teen retorted.

Krad ignored the comment and continued, words venomously sweet. _No one knows more about you than I do. You can't hide everything from me, no matter how much you try. But these foolish wishes are beneath you. They belong to someone normal. Someone common, and you are nothing common, Satoshi-sama. _

The teen quite certainly knew that to be true.

_In any case, Satoshi-sama, you have your wish,_ Krad said with a smile. _Someone's here for you._

Satoshi's head whipped around to see Hiwatari Kei talking animatedly to a panicked-looking Niwa Daisuke.

The man saw Satoshi notice him and smiled.

XXXXX

As class ended, Daisuke sighed deeply. He'd managed to answer one question correctly, which was good. However, the sensei hadn't quite been able to hide her surprise when he had offered to answer, which wasn't good.

_Well, it's not like you've never answered a question before for her, right? _Dark asked encouragingly.

Daisuke remained silent as he shoved his books into his bag, but his ears turned a slight shade of pink.

_You've never answered her questions before?_ The thief was incredulous.

_You live inside my head!_ Daisuke flared. _You should know._

_I never pay attention to your school,_ Dark said dismissively. _Oh well. Maybe we can distract Emiko before she harasses you about it. Where is she, anyway?_

Daisuke looked around to see his parents, as well as his grandfather, speaking amiably with the sensei.

Dark inwardly winced at exactly the same time as Daisuke. _Well, when she gets over here, what we'll do is take her to the art room so she can see your—_

"Excuse me."

Daisuke turned to see a pleasant-looking young man in glasses smiling at him. "It's nice to see you, Niwa Daisuke. How have you been?"

_Do you know this guy?_ Dark asked curiously.

_I don't think so,_ Daisuke said slowly, trying to remember. He smiled at the man. "I'm just fine, thanks. And you?" he asked politely.

The man smiled brightly. "Busy. But of course, not nearly as busy as you, I'm sure."

Daisuke's heart froze, and he heard Dark's quick, surprised intake of breath. "What do you mean?" he asked, forcing a faint smile. "I'm no busier than any other student."

"Well, of course," the man said indulgently. "But you participate in so many… extra-curricular activities."

_Who **is** this guy?_ Dark asked with serious concern.

"You must have me confused with someone else," Daisuke grinned, using all his acting abilities. "I just go to school and do my homework. I don't do much else."

"Well, there was the play, and we can't forget all of your," the man's eyes narrowed appraisingly, "various art projects."

Daisuke's mouth dropped open as he stared at the man.

_Oh **shit**, this guy knows,_ the thief said intensely. _Daisuke, get the hell out of there before he arrests you or something. We need to find Kosuke and Emiko._

And then Daisuke felt someone appear by his side. He turned his head to see Satoshi staring at the man with an expression more coldly furious than anything he had ever seen before.

"What are you doing here?" he asked evenly.

The man smiled at Satoshi, but the smile never reached his eyes. "Satoshi, I came to see you, of course," he said lightly. "Besides, is that any way to greet your father?"

Daisuke's gaze flicked back and forth between the two. "Your father?" he said in a quiet aside to Satoshi.

But not quietly enough, it seemed. The man heard, and stuck out his hand. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Hiwatari Kei."

Suddenly, Emiko appeared out of thin air next to her son just in time to hear the introduction. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she stuck out her hand before Daisuke was obligated to. "I'm Niwa Emiko," she said brightly, smiling widely at the man. "I take it you've already met Daisuke."

The man's smile grew even wider. "I have. He's a talented boy."

"As is your son." Her smile was saccharine sweet. "Forgive me, but aren't you a little young to have a son?"

Hiwatari's mouth tightened slightly before he recovered from the slight dig. "Oh, I'm not his real father." He reached out and pulled Satoshi closer to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I adopted him to help him out, help him…fulfill his potential, so to speak."

Emiko's eyes widened as she caught the unspoken meaning behind his words. Her smile grew slightly brittle. "How admirable."

"Yes, well," Hiwatari shrugged deprecatingly before giving the woman a smug grin, "Satoshi's a smart boy. He's very talented at what he does."

"And yet of the two, Daisuke appears to be having more success at what **he** does," Emiko said sweetly.

Hiwatari's eyes grew cold behind his glasses, and Emiko smiled wider, showing teeth.

_My money's on Emiko,_ Dark said in slight awe.

Daisuke shot a look at Satoshi, who was staring at the two adults with clear concern. He met Daisuke's gaze, and nodded slightly.

Satoshi stepped out from under Hiwatari's grasp and turned slightly to face him. "Didn't you have a meeting scheduled for today?"

At the same time, Daisuke tugged on his mom's sleeve. "Mom, you really have to come see this painting I did in art class."

Hiwatari smiled at his adopted son. "I canceled all of my meetings so that I could be with you today."

Emiko shrugged free of her son's grasp and looked at him with a slight frown. "Daisuke, Hiwatari-san and I were having such a nice conversation." She smiled again at Hiwatari, who smiled back.

Daisuke looked at Satoshi helplessly.

Anyone just casually looking at Niwa Emiko and Hiwatari Kei would have thought they were the best of friends, so pleasantly were they acting toward each other. Only Satoshi and Daisuke were close enough to see the malice underneath the smiles and hear the venom behind the friendly words.

Somehow summoned by the subliminal sound of a Niwa in distress, Daiki and Kosuke approached.

Kosuke took in the scene of his wife smiling viciously at the man who was resting his hand possessively on Hiwatari Satoshi's shoulder, and he saw both Satoshi and Daisuke looking very uncomfortable. His brow furrowed for a moment as he immediately understood what was going on.

And then he smiled mildly and took Emiko by the arm. "Emiko-san, we need to go," he said gently.

She turned to glare at him slightly, then turned back to Hiwatari. "Hiwatari-san, my husband and father." Emiko gestured back at the man. "Hiwatari Kei."

Hiwatari smiled pleasantly. "A pleasure."

Daiki raised an eyebrow and looked unimpressed.

Kosuke nodded a greeting and tapped Emiko on the shoulder. "We're supposed to go meet Daisuke's art teacher, remember?"

"Oh." She looked back at the younger man. "Good day, Hiwatari-san." They turned to go, Emiko discreetly seizing Daisuke by the upper arm and pulling him along as well.

"It was…informative meeting you," Hiwatari called after them.

Kosuke looked back over his shoulder, and smiled blandly. "Good day."

And with that, the Niwa family walked out the door.

XXXXX

Satoshi watched the Niwa go, then turned to his father. "Was that necessary?" he asked coolly.

"Absolutely," the man said, the false smile still firmly affixed on his face. "Now the Niwa know that we know, and know that we will not stop until they're caught."

"'We' will do no such thing," Satoshi stated calmly. "**I** will catch **Dark**. That is the goal."

Hiwatari leveled a cool, measuring stare at the teen for a brief moment before the look faded into the man's normal look of pleasantness. "Of course, Satoshi." He glanced down at his watch. "And you were right, I do have a meeting, so I'll have to leave." Hiwatari pulled his coat on and patted his son on the shoulder before leaving. "See you later!"

Satoshi followed the man to the door and didn't relax his guard until he was sure Hiwatari had left—and in the opposite direction than the art room. As soon as he was certain that his father was actually leaving the building, he sighed deeply and sat down on the edge of a desk.

The last group of parents finished talking to the sensei and left. The teacher gave Satoshi a slight look of concern before leaving as well.

A small breath of air alerted him to the redhead tentatively approaching. "Are you okay?" Daisuke asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine," Satoshi said with a sigh. "Are you?"

Daisuke blinked down at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"What did he ask you?" Satoshi asked intensely. "Did he say anything?"

The redhead looked uncertain and sat down next to the older teen. "He really just asked how I was doing, and he commented on the fact that I must be really busy due to all of my," the redhead shuddered, "extra-curricular activities."

Satoshi sighed. "I'm sorry, Niwa."

"It's not your fault," Daisuke shrugged. After a moment, he looked apologetically at Satoshi. "You and Hiwatari don't get along real well, do you?"

Satoshi looked sideways at him and raised an eyebrow. "Is it that obvious?" he asked dryly.

"Probably not to anyone except me," Daisuke said simply.

Satoshi looked at him seriously. "You should stay as far away from him as possible."

Daisuke nodded.

The two boys sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the quiet. "Where is your family?" Satoshi asked finally.

"In the art room, arguing with the art teacher," Daisuke sighed. "Apparently, Mom doesn't believe my painting deserved a B."

"It didn't," Satoshi replied softly. "It should have gotten a better grade. It was well done."

One of Daisuke's trademark smiles that could light up a whole room bloomed on the redhead's face. "You really think so?"

Inexplicably, some of Satoshi's foul mood began to slip away as he graced the Niwa with a small smile. "Yes. I do."

Daisuke grinned widely at him.

And it was only then that Satoshi heard the slight cough from the doorway.

The two boys turned as one to see Niwa Kosuke in the door, looking at them searchingly.

"Dad!" Daisuke said in surprise, sliding off the desk. "What's up?"

Kosuke smiled slightly. "Your mom's looking for you. It's time we should be going home." His smile grew wry. "Who knows what Towa's destroyed by now?"

"Oh no," Daisuke moaned. "You left her there by herself?"

"Well, not entirely," the man smiled. "With is there as well."

"With and Towa home alone? The whole house will be gone by the time we get home." Daisuke walked over to his dad and turned back to face Satoshi. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi nodded as the redhead headed out the door.

Kosuke followed close behind his son, but he before he left, he turned to give Satoshi a curiously assessing gaze.

Satoshi stared back, unsure what the Niwa was looking for.

And then the man smiled kindly at him, an act which surprised Satoshi greatly. "Good day, Hikari-san," the older man said softly, and disappeared through the door.

Satoshi stared at the door for a moment, and shrugged inwardly. He picked up his school bag and walked out.

XXXXXX

Emiko stalked ahead of the rest of her family as the Niwa returned home, muttering under her breath. The Niwa males followed a safe distance behind.

"Why is Mom so mad?" Daisuke asked in a low voice.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Daiki said lightly. "She's always like this after a confrontation with the Hikari. She takes the family duty very seriously." The old man frowned. "Although in this case, I must say I agree with her."

Daisuke looked confused. "About what?"

Kosuke opened his mouth to answer as they turned down the front walk, but he was cut off by the sound of sobbing issuing from the door Emiko had just opened.

"Towa-chan!" Emiko stared at the weeping maid. "What happened?"

The smell of burning rice and a curl of black smoke from the kitchen was the only answer they needed.

"Oh no!" Emiko ran into the kitchen. "Dinner!"

The male Niwa stared at each other uncertainly for a moment before Kosuke took charge. "All right, Daisuke, you calm Towa down. Daiki, why don't you get dinner under control?"

They hurried into the kitchen, leaving Daisuke to cheer up the tearful artwork. Emiko was stirring a pot with much more vigor than what was needed as she kicked a nearby cupboard door open. "Oh, good. Kosuke, hand me that pot," she said, pointing with her toe.

"Emiko, let me handle it, okay?" Daiki said kindly, snagging the spoon while she was distracted.

She gave him a doubtful look, hands on hips. "Dad, you can't—"

"Emiko," Kosuke interrupted, taking her by the arm, "come talk with me, please?"

With a huff, Emiko let Kosuke lead her out of the kitchen into the living room. Daisuke was still in the hall with Towa, who still crying so loudly it was doubtful she could hear a word the redhead was saying.

"You're upset about Hiwatari, right, Emiko?" Kosuke asked, not bothering with subtlety.

She sat down on the couch and scowled. "He knows."

Kosuke blinked and sat down beside her. "What do you mean?"

"He knows! About Dark!" Emiko stood back up and began pacing in front of the couch. "He was making all these comments about 'fulfilling' the Hikari's potential. If he knows about **that**, he must know about Daisuke and Dark."

Nothing was said for a moment as Kosuke considered this. "We should have expected this," he murmured at last.

Emiko stopped pacing and glared at him. "What do you mean? We should have expected the Hikari to be so **callow** as to involve others in our feud?"

"No," Kosuke told her, his voice carrying a hint of heat. "If we had thought about it, we would have seen it coming. Hikari Satoshi is the last of his family, and Rio died when he still only an infant. Yet he knows everything about his clan, the feud, and the curse."

A frown came to Emiko's face.

"The only way he would know all of that would be if someone else had been entrusted with the information," Kosuke continued. "I assume that Rio told Hiwatari everything when she knew she was dying, so her son would not grow up in ignorance of what he was going to have to suffer."

"He said he'd adopted Hikari…" Emiko responded thoughtfully. "But he's so young."

"Hiwatari-kun said his father adopted him after that man's dad died," Daisuke interrupted quietly from the living room door. Both Emiko and Kosuke jumped in surprise.

"I'm sorry—what?" Kosuke asked, still a little shaken by the sudden entrance of his son.

"It came up a while ago," Daisuke said, absently stroking the white demon-rabbit on his shoulder. "Apparently, Hiwatari Kei's father knew about Dark and Krad from Hiwatari-kun's mother. Before he died, he told his son, and he adopted Hiwatari-kun."

Kosuke blinked at him. "Hikari-san…told you this?"

Daisuke shrugged. "It came up in conversation."

Still puzzled by why Satoshi would tell Daisuke something so personal, Kosuke didn't notice the look of disappointment on Emiko's face. "Why didn't you tell us, if you knew?" she asked, hurt. "That's important information, Daisuke!"

Daisuke glanced down uncomfortably, then looked back up. "I didn't want you to worry," he said softly. "Besides, Hiwatari-kun said he had it under control."

"If the Hikari had everything under control," Emiko said dangerously, "Why did you look so scared when you were talking to Hiwatari?"

"He didn't introduce himself," Daisuke explained. "He just walked up and started making all sorts of weird comments that could have been about Dark. I was…kinda freaked out."

"Well, now that we all know who he is, I think it would be best if you stayed away from him," Kosuke advised.

Daisuke nodded. "Yeah, that's what Hiwatari-kun said, too."

Surprised, Emiko and Kosuke shared a glance, then turned to study their son. He blinked.

"Wise advice," Kosuke said finally, letting it go. He turned to his wife. "Anyway, moving on, are there any heists planned for tomorrow? Anything we need to prepare for?"

Emiko shook her head. "No, nothing big planned for tomorrow. I do want to go to the morning market, though. Can you help me carry, Daisuke?"

The redhead shrugged. "Sure. The only thing is I have plans for is after lunch."

"Researching with the Hikari again?" Emiko sighed.

Daisuke looked at her unapologetically. "Yeah."

"Fine," she sighed and walked out, heading towards the kitchen. "I ought to go check on dinner."

Daisuke looked a little upset by Emiko's abrupt departure, so Kosuke smiled at his son. "It's good that you're continuing the research," he said encouragingly. "No knowledge is ever wasted."

His son smiled back at him, good humor restored. "Yeah. Just last week I learned about this enchanted painting that is supposed to reflect your dreams."

Kosuke smiled. "Good. Anything you learn about enchanted art can only help you." He patted his son on the shoulder. "Let's go see how dinner's doing."

The two walked into the kitchen to see a disaster in the making. Daiki was frantically stirring something and Emiko was holding a pan full of blackened cinders.

"Dad, **everybody** knows you don't cook fish over high heat for fifteen minutes!" she said in exasperation. "You didn't even add any oil!"

Daiki didn't bother to answer. Instead, he just picked up his pot and carried it to the sink. What he poured down the drain was a sickly grayish color, and Daisuke and Kosuke shuddered as one.

Daiki dropped the now-empty pot in the sink with a clatter as Towa opened the window. "Well," the old man said cheerfully, "who wants to eat out tonight?"


	40. Chapter 4: December 4

**Chapter 4: December 4**

Daisuke jogged into the library, slowing only when the ever-glaring librarian glowered at him. "Sorry, Hiwatari-kun," he whispered as he approached the table where the commander was waiting with a hint of impatience. "I was running errands for Mom."

The redhead slid his bag off his right shoulder and winced, reaching up to rub it.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Satoshi asked softly, pushing his small stack of ancient-looking books to one side out of the way.

Daisuke made a face. "No. Mom can't resist sales at the market, so we always end up buying more than we really need. And of course **I'm** the one who has to carry it."

The commander blinked at the spiky-haired teen, but Daisuke didn't really expect an answer.

"Do you care if I study for a little bit?" he asked. "I really ought to go over the formulas and stuff for the test tomorrow."

Satoshi shrugged. "Do whatever you have to do, Niwa. We don't have very long to study, since the library closes early on Sundays." He paused. "If you want, I'll look over the books today. You can just study."

"Thanks!" Daisuke said gratefully, pulling his math book and notebook from his bag. He bent over his books and began to study them carefully.

Satoshi followed suit and for a while, time passed uneventfully. As Daisuke studied, however, a small frown appeared on his face. The frown only deepened as the redhead started flipping pages.

"This is ridiculous!" he finally complained, tossing his pencil down in frustration.

Satoshi looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry for you, Niwa, but if you don't keep your voice down, we're going to get thrown out of the library."

Daisuke glanced to his left to see the librarian scowling at them. He flushed and looked back down at his math book. "It's still ridiculous," he said again, but in a much softer tone.

"What is?" Satoshi sighed.

"This!" The redhead gestured at his math notes. "I really don't understand trigonometry, and I'm not ready for the test tomorrow. The homework questions use formulas I swear we never talked about in class."

"Let me see," the commander said, reaching for Daisuke's notes. He studied the scribbled pages for a moment, and then looked back up. "You have huge gaps missing in your notes," he said, pushing his glasses back up with a finger. "Were you paying attention?"

Daisuke frowned. "I think so…"

_Actually, I think that was the day you spent the whole period dithering about the entire class hating you. Remember? I tried to cheer you up by telling you about the time I stole a kimono and dropped it right on a guard's head. _

"No, I guess I wasn't," Daisuke answered Satoshi with a sigh.

The other boy shook his head in mock disapproval. "Niwa…"

Daisuke smiled sheepishly, then brightened. "Hey, can I look at your notes? You always take the best notes."

"Most likely because I pay attention," Satoshi said dryly, passing his notebook over before returning his gaze to the old book in front of him.

Daisuke flipped open the notebook and silently marveled at the explanations and examples written in a neat hand. He started at the beginning of the current chapter's notes and started to read. He had to admit, Satoshi's notes were a lot clearer and easier to understand than his own notes.

_That's probably because he's taken it all before,_ Dark commented.

_Probably._

Daisuke read the pages carefully, finally getting the equations and formulas straight. He glanced up in order to say thank you and paused. Satoshi was totally engrossed in the history, fine pale hair falling unheeded in front of his face, eyes moving quickly behind the glasses as he reviewed each page.

_Daisuke_?

_What, Dark?_ Daisuke asked absently.

_Aren't you supposed to be studying?_ the phantom thief asked dryly.

_I am! _

_Studying the notes, not the commander,_ came the tart rejoinder.

Daisuke bit his lip and quickly looked back at the notes. He flipped to the next page on the unit circle and found himself staring at a perfect ink sketch…of himself.

_Well, the Honorable Commander obviously doesn't pay as much attention as he says he does_, Dark observed with amusement.

Daisuke just stared. He'd never seen any of Satoshi's art before.

_He's a Hikari, Daisuke. Of course he's good._

_Yeah…I just never thought…_he trailed off. The sketch showed him sitting with his chin in his hand at his desk next to an open window, and Daisuke could almost swear he saw the sketch's hair move in the breeze. _This is the best art I've seen in a long time. Better than some of the stuff we've stolen recently. _

He glanced up again. Satoshi was still absorbed in the history, oblivious to the fact that the redhead was gaping at him fairly obviously.

_You should really shut your mouth, Daisuke. _

_Do I really look like this?_ Daisuke asked, gesturing at the faraway gaze on the sketch's face.

_Most of the time, yeah._

_Why?_ Daisuke asked plaintively. _Why a sketch of me?_

Dark sighed. _If you really want to know, Daisuke, you should probably ask him._

Daisuke cleared his throat. "Hiwatari-kun?"

The commander looked up, faint annoyance in his gaze at being disturbed. "What, Niwa?"

Daisuke didn't reply; he just pushed the notebook back towards Satoshi. He took it patiently, but then froze as he saw what page it was open on.

He saw Satoshi flush for one unbelievable second before his face went hard and cold. "I meant to destroy that," he said coolly, ripping the page from his notebook.

"Don't rip it!" Daisuke protested loudly. He saw the librarian scowling out of the corner of his eye.

Satoshi sighed deeply. "You don't understand…" He began to crumple it into a ball.

"No!" Daisuke gasped. He lunged across the table and plucked the sketch from the commander's grasp, knocking a stack of books to the floor.

The crash resonated in the hush of the building, and the librarian swooped down on them like an avenging angel.

"OUT!" she hissed.

Satoshi swept his books into his bag and stalked out of the building. Daisuke, red-faced, gathered his own books and followed.

_Good one, Daisuke._

_Shut up, Dark. _

He stumbled out of the building, blinking in the bright sunlight.

Satoshi was waiting for him, anger flashing in his ice-blue eyes. "Give that back."

Daisuke frowned, trying to juggle his books into his bag. "Not if you're gonna rip it up!"

"It's mine to destroy if I please," Satoshi said in an icy voice that vibrated with anger. "Or are you simply following the Niwa tendency to steal any Hikari art you get your hands on?"

Daisuke's mouth fell open for a moment, then tightened. "That was mean."

Satoshi said nothing, only waited.

"Just tell me why, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke asked plaintively.

"What is Hikari art, Niwa?" the commander replied tiredly, beginning to walk down the road, away from the library and into a park.

Daisuke frowned and followed. "Hiwat—"

"It is power, and my clan's power has always caused pain," Satoshi explained as he walked. "I will not contribute to that."

"But you have such an amazing gift!" Daisuke protested.

"One man's gift is another's curse, Niwa. I would have thought you, of all people, would understand that," Satoshi said bitingly.

Daisuke flushed, but continued doggedly. "But you know better. You're not like your ancestors. You wouldn't do anything."

"Are you sure? None of my ancestors really set out to do evil, yet their pride caused other people pain. The spirit they put into their artworks gave the art power, and not all of it was good."

"But…Towa-chan…"

Satoshi continued relentlessly. "For every harmless artwork like the Towa no Shirube, there's a dangerous one like the Toki no Byoushin. I won't risk creating another Second Hand of Time."

"But, Hiwatari-kun…" Daisuke said gently, "Regardless of what your ancestors did, you're not proud."

Satoshi shook his head, deadly serious. "Because I have nothing to be proud of," he responded.

Daisuke contemplated that for a moment, trying to determine exactly what the older teen had meant. He finally sighed, giving up, and handed the sketch back to Satoshi. "You could create great things, Hiwatari-kun," he said wistfully, dropping down onto the grass.

"I could create great evil, as well," Satoshi explained with infinite gentleness as he sat down on the grass next to the redhead, slowly tearing the sketch to shreds. "No amount of personal greatness is worth human suffering. How many people have died because of the Hikari and their pride?" He shook his head, looking more tired than Daisuke had ever seen as he let the bits of paper fall to the ground. "No more. No one else should suffer for the sin of my clan."

"It's not your fault," Daisuke said softly, scooting closer to his friend.

"No." Satoshi's mouth quirked in a wry, humorless smile. "But it is my responsibility. I have no choice."

"I'm sorry," Daisuke offered miserably, knowing that it wasn't enough, not nearly enough.

Satoshi looked at him in vague surprise. "Why? It isn't your fault."

Daisuke looked back at him. "Because you're my friend, Hiwatari-kun, and you're hurting, and I can't fix it. I'm sorry."

The commander shrugged. "It's—"

"And I'm sorry for me and the rest of the world as well, for being denied your art," Daisuke continued softly. "I really liked your sketch, Hiwatari-kun."

He looked back to see Hiwatari studying him intently, an unreadable expression on his face. He was gazing at him as though he had never really seen him before.

Daisuke was suddenly aware of their closeness and flushed. "I mean, it was a really good sketch, much better than anything I could ever do," he began to babble nervously, leaning away to reestablish some space between them.

Hiwatari smiled a quick flash of a smile, although his eyes were inexplicably saddened. "Thanks, Niwa." He stood up with his usual grace and picked up his bag. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Daisuke stumbled to his feet, a little surprised by the commander's abrupt departure. "Bye," he called, lifting his hand in a feeble attempt at a wave. The commander kept walking.

_Wow, did you blow it,_ Dark commented dryly.

_Did he leave real fast, or was it just me?_ Daisuke asked. _And what do you mean, 'blow it?'_

_If you don't know, Daisuke, then you're not ready to hear it,_ Dark said with surprising seriousness.

The redhead frowned as he turned towards home. _Do you think that Krad said something_?

_I don't think so,_ Dark said. _I think that one was all you._

_What are you talking about?_

_Riku had it right_, Dark sighed. _You're a nice guy, Daisuke, and the best host I've ever had, but in some cases, you can be really, incredibly, **massively** stupid. _

_What?_

Dark sighed and started to retreat back to his corner.

_No, _Daisuke snapped. _Explain what you mean. After all, if I am stupid, I won't get it and it won't matter anyway._

There was a brief moment of silence. _That sentence really didn't make any logical sense at all. Reminds me of me._

Daisuke folded his arms and waited pointedly.

There was a sigh from the phantom thief. _Think about it, Daisuke. How many friends do you think the Honorable Commander has had over the years?_

Daisuke frowned. _I've only known Hiwatari-kun since middle school began. How am I supposed to know how many friends he had as a kid?_

_Well, first of all, the Hikari are never children_, Dark began. _Sometimes they're just younger than other times._

_But—_

_I'd bet all the artwork in the basement that Hiwatari hasn't changed much since he was young. So how many friends do you think he had? _Dark continued patiently.

Daisuke shrugged. _He's quiet…_

_That's right, _Dark interrupted. _Not many. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that you're the only real friend he's ever had, Daisuke. _

_Then why did he leave? _Daisuke asked plaintively.

Dark sighed again, and the redhead noted vaguely that he did that a lot nowadays. _Daisuke, you're probably the only person who has ever really cared about him in his life. My guess would be that he doesn't know how to handle it._

_Oh. _Daisuke considered that. _So what did I mess up then?_

_You made it abundantly clear that he was a friend, _Dark stated flatly. And with that, he retreated back to his corner and nothing Daisuke could say would make him come out and explain what he had meant.

XXXXX

Satoshi spent most of the rest of the evening walking around Azumano, thinking. By the time the commander got back to his apartment, he had regained control over the turbulent thoughts and emotions Daisuke raised in him.

And just in time, as Krad woke up soon after. He emerged from depths of Satoshi's mind as the teen sat at the table in the archives, typing at his notes, stacks of books and notebooks around him. _Good evening, Satoshi-sama,_ he said smoothly.

Satoshi didn't bother to answer, but just kept typing.

_What interesting things did you do today?_

The teen shook his head, but kept his gaze on the screen. _You don't care, so why do you ask?_

The curse shrugged inwardly. _Just trying to make conversation. We do not talk much anymore, Satoshi-sama, and your silence wounds me. _

Safely hidden behind the reflection of the computer screen on his glasses, Satoshi's eyes narrowed. Krad had indeed not been as talkative as usual, but Satoshi had in no way missed the murderous murmurings in the back of his head. He reached for another book, but as he pulled it toward him, he knocked his math notebook off the pile. It tumbled to the surface of the table, falling open where he had ripped the page out.

_Well, _Krad commented, pleased. _At least you finally got rid of that ridiculous sketch of the Niwa. _

Satoshi remained silent and continued working. He felt Krad brush against his barriers ever-so-lightly, and he immediately reinforced them, giving the action his full attention as he prepared to fight back, if necessary.

Krad backed off quickly. _Really, Satoshi-sama, when will you believe that I have only your best interests at heart?_

Keeping his barriers at their highest resistance, Satoshi deliberately picked up the book and opened it, letting his silence be his answer.

_Very well,_ Krad frowned. _Please note, Satoshi-sama, as a token of my continued esteem, despite your rudeness, I withdraw. For now._

And, to the teen's surprise, the curse returned to his corner of Satoshi's mind without any further prodding. Somewhat unnerved at his curse's sudden and much-too-easy departure, Satoshi realized that he wouldn't get any further in his research tonight. He scowled slightly as he turned off his computer and re-shelved all of his books. Perhaps that, in and of itself, was enough reason for Krad to leave in such a deceptively meek manner. Annoying his Tamer by playing mind games was an action that Satoshi knew Krad would take if he thought it had the slightest chance of working.

The teen shook his head sourly and went to bed.


	41. Chapter 5: December 5

ASN: I do most seriously apologize for the delay in posting, but this site wouldn't let me post for SIX days!

AN: Nothing would let us upload our chapters. Not on her computer, not on my computer.

ASN: And then the support link wouldn't work.

AN: We were stuck, and we couldn't think of anything to do. I hope the note we posted on our profile helped.

ASN: But now that this site appears to have regained its sanity, maybe things can go back to normal.

AN: Since when has anything in either of our lives been **normal**?

ASN: Good point. Hmmm….things can go back to the certifiably-insane-but-considerably-less-stressful level of reality that we call normal.

AN: Much more accurate. We're going to go ahead and post last Thursday's chapter, Sunday's chapter, and today's chapter, and we're going to hope that it works on Thursday.

ASN: Keep your fingers crossed!

**Chapter 5: December 5**

The next morning, Satoshi woke up absolutely exhausted. Although he had never been his best first thing in the morning, today was much worse than usual. He blearily pulled on a clean uniform shirt, and began to button it. When he got to the collar, however, he found that he still had an extra button hole. Satoshi stared blankly at the shirt for a moment before realizing that he'd skipped a button hole in the middle.

"I must be getting sick," he muttered as he unbuttoned his shirt halfway and re-buttoned it correctly. He strode into the living room to get his school bag. Slinging it over his shoulder, Satoshi immediately realized that the bag was too light. His brow furrowed for a moment before he remembered that he'd left his laptop in the archives last night. He walked down the hall and pushed open the door to the archives. His laptop was sitting innocently on the table next to a large text.

The commander frowned. He'd thought that he'd put all the books away last night. He stepped forward and picked up the book.

It was a history of some of the lost Hikari works, including the Wedge of Time…and the Taro axe.

A slight frisson of alarm ran down Satoshi's spine.

That was definitely not one of the books he'd read recently.

He cautiously probed to the spot in his mind where Krad usually lurked. The curse was asleep, quite soundly.

He'd been sleeping a lot lately.

And suddenly, it all fell into place. Satoshi's constant fatigue, Krad's sudden increase in sleeping, the mysterious moving of books in the archive, even Krad's diminished commentary.

Krad had been taking over Satoshi's body when he was asleep and doing research on his own.

Satoshi went even paler as the blood drained from his face. It was indeed entirely possible for Krad to emerge during the night when Satoshi's control was lessened. As long as Krad did not overexert the body they shared or manifest wings, Krad could quite conceivably move around the apartment without Satoshi realizing it.

This was clearly a restrained, well-thought-out plan, and, as Satoshi thought back over the past few weeks and tallied up all the mornings when he'd woken up tired or saw something out of place, this was clearly a plan that had been in effect for several weeks, if not months. Anything that required Krad to think that much ahead and to be that subtle made Satoshi very, very nervous.

Forcing the insidious beginnings of panic away, the teen's mouth tightened as he coldly began to consider the curse's motives. Krad was clearly interested in something that the book spoke of. Since the Wedge of Time had already been destroyed, it was unlikely that Krad was interested in it. Logically, that left only the Edge of Sorrows.

Satoshi's stomach twisted. Krad was gathering information for the same axe that the Niwa were currently looking for.

The Edge of Sorrows was one of the works whose properties Satoshi did not know. Clearly he needed to find out. He doubted Krad wanted it simply to keep it safe from the Niwa.

Satoshi looked around at the hundreds of hand-written books in his archive. It would be next to impossible to find the information that he needed without doing hours of research. And an increase in research that large would certainly concern Krad, who would ask uncomfortable questions.

Krad would not care about the axe unless he thought it could help him in some way, which meant that Krad knew something that Satoshi did not. This could explain why Krad had been so distant lately. It was hard to hide a secret from someone whom you shared a mind with. Rather than try to hide that information, Krad had simply chosen to limit contact.

Satoshi briefly considered confronting Krad about the issue, but quickly decided against it. Krad was probably strong enough to block the information, even from a concerted attack. And any sort of confrontation would again tip off Krad that his secret had been discovered and that Satoshi knew about his nocturnal ramblings. And Satoshi did not feel in any way confident that he could stand up to a similar attack on his own secrets. No, a confrontation was clearly out of the question.

A clock chimed mechanically from the living room, and Satoshi automatically looked at his watch. He was going to be late for school.

The commander looked at the staggering amount of books around him, considered the scope of the research that he needed to begin as soon as possible, and deliberately left the room, scooping up his laptop on the way out. Not going to school was not an option. Above all, he had to avoid exciting any suspicion on the part of his curse. He had to somehow think of a way to begin researching the axe discreetly, simultaneously being aware of the threat of Krad awakening at any moment and demanding to know what he was doing. He had to somehow learn what Krad was planning so he could prevent it.

Somehow.

XXXXX

Daisuke looked up in surprise as Satoshi came through the door to the classroom, significantly later than usual. Usually, the older teen was at his desk and halfway through a book before Daisuke stumbled through the door.

Satoshi gave him the briefest of glances as he walked in, and Daisuke felt his smile freeze on his face. Satoshi's expression was surprisingly distant. Before Daisuke could do or say anything to him, however, the commander turned away and headed toward his desk.

Daisuke twisted around in his seat to watch him, a part of him hoping that Satoshi would glance up again, but the teen settled into his seat and gathered his materials without looking in Daisuke's direction once.

"Let's get started, everyone!" the sensei announced, and Daisuke reluctantly turned back around. Satoshi wasn't acting any different from normal, if one really thought about it. He was usually impersonal and emotionless.

But for some reason, this normal behavior suddenly had Daisuke very worried.

XXXXX

"Hiwatari-kun!"

Satoshi glanced over his shoulder and slowed his pace slightly. "Yes, Niwa?"

Daisuke smiled at him. "Where are you going? It's raining; we can't eat on the roof in the rain."

Taking a deep breath, Satoshi stopped walking. Daisuke halted beside him, the smile gone, replaced by a worried expression. "What is it, Hiwatari-kun?"

"I'm sorry, Niwa, but I have paperwork I need to do," Satoshi said calmly. "Something has come up, and it is vital that I finish it as soon as possible."

Daisuke looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Go eat with your friends today," Satoshi directed, trying to be gentle. "I'm going to the school library; it may not have the material I need, but it is quieter than the classroom."

"Do you need a hand?" Daisuke offered after a moment. "I'll eat fast—"

Satoshi shook his head. "No, Niwa, I'm fine. Thank you, but this involves me alone."

For some reason, the redhead seemed determined to not take any hints. "It'll go faster with me."

"No, thank you," Satoshi repeated, his tone firmer than before.

Hurt flashed in the redhead's eyes. "I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun, but I was trying to be helpful."

Satoshi knew that Daisuke was trying to lend a hand, but all he was doing at this point was slowing him down. "I know, Niwa." Sighing, he pushed his glasses back up from where they'd slipped. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to come to the library and help with the Second Hand of Time research, either."

Now Daisuke was obviously distressed. "What? But—we were getting so much done—"

"It'll only be for a couple days," Satoshi found himself saying in reassurance. "There are some general texts that the library recently received that we hadn't looked through. If you want to continue, you can check them to see if they contain a lead we haven't caught yet."

"Maybe," Daisuke replied after a moment. He glanced away from Satoshi. "Just a couple days?"

"Hopefully," Satoshi admitted. "It's really important I start now."

"All right," the redhead said at last. "Good luck."

"Thank you. Enjoy your lunch, Niwa." With that, Satoshi continued toward the library. Behind him, he heard Daisuke sigh and turn to head back to the classroom.

Satoshi hadn't wanted to dismiss Daisuke so harshly, but finding out what Krad wanted with the axe was the most important issue. And since Satoshi knew that the Niwa had been looking for the Edge of Sorrows, he was hesitant to ask Daisuke to get involved with it again. Hopefully he could manage on his own.


	42. Chapter 6: December 8

**Chapter 6: December 8**

To Satoshi's surprise, Daisuke left him in relative peace for the next few days. The redhead ate lunch with Saehara and the others, letting Satoshi spend his time alone to try and puzzle out how much Krad had learned about the Edge of Sorrows. He was hesitant to bring his books to school, but it had become necessary. Krad had been quiet for the last few weeks—there was no telling what the curse knew. So Satoshi seized the time alone to go through all the books he could find, hoping that perhaps, he would come upon something that would give him a clue as to what Krad was looking for.

It was a race. Who could find out what the other was up to first?

"Hold on, Hiwatari-kun!"

Startled out of his musings, Satoshi shoved the last of his materials into his book bag and looked up. "What is it, Niwa?"

Daisuke frowned at him. "I was looking for you at lunch today, but I couldn't find you."

"I was at the school library," Satoshi replied, shouldering his bag and heading for the door. "What do you need?"

"That would explain why I couldn't find you on the roof," Daisuke mused to himself, following.

Satoshi sighed. "Niwa, if you have something to say, please do so. If not, I need to be going."

The redhead stopped in his tracks and looked at him with wide eyes, absolutely crushed.

Satoshi cursed silently to himself. "Niwa, I—"

"Are you mad at me?" Daisuke interrupted.

The commander blinked. He hadn't expected that question. "No. Why?"

"Well," Daisuke began, nervously scuffing the toe of his sneaker against the linoleum, "you've been kinda…distant lately. I know you said you were working on something, but you've barely looked at me for the past couple days. Ever since…ever since we, you know, almost fought about your drawing…and I just wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me," he finished in a rush.

"Niwa," Satoshi said slowly, "I'm not mad at you. I've just been really busy lately."

"Oh." Daisuke's eyes hardened slightly and his mouth set into a line. "Fine."

Satoshi could tell from the line of tension in Daisuke's shoulders that he was about to turn and stalk off in a sulk. He sighed again. "It's about an artwork," he said quietly.

Daisuke paused mid-turn. "What do you mean?"

Satoshi didn't say anything, but adjusted the strap on his bag, gazing over his shoulder as he did so. The half-dozen students who had been intently following their conversation immediately looked elsewhere.

"Oh," Daisuke said in understanding. He gestured toward the door.

Satoshi strode out, and the redhead followed him silently.

Once the boys got to the relative privacy of the courtyard, Daisuke turned back to him. "What artwork?"

"I was reading," Satoshi began, neatly sidestepping the question, "and I found mention that this artwork may have dangerous powers. And with everything as unstable as it is right now, I want to learn all that I can about it."

"Oh," Daisuke nodded thoughtfully. "I see. But…" He looked a little ashamed. "Why didn't you want my help?"

"Divide and conquer," Satoshi told him calmly. "This artwork is serious, but it also depends on us finding out what happened with the Second Hand of Time. I need you to work on that."

Daisuke didn't say anything for a moment. He just simply began walking again. Slightly concerned, Satoshi did the same. "Niwa…"

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" the redhead asked abruptly.

Satoshi looked at him sharply, noting the hurt expression, but before he could speak, Daisuke continued.

"I…do you not trust me, Hiwatari-kun? Is that why you didn't say anything? Did I break your trust so badly that you don't dare to even mention some other artwork to me for fear that Dark and I will set out to steal it? Is that—"

Satoshi found himself reaching out and grabbing Daisuke by the wrist, pulling him to a stop. "No," he said flatly.

Daisuke blinked at him, shocked out of his tirade.

"That is not it," Satoshi told him seriously. For some unknown reason, Daisuke's question had touched a nerve. He let go of his wrist and took a step back, feeling a bitter expression come to his face. "You have to understand, Niwa, I do not deal well with groups. No matter what, no matter **whom**, I prefer to work on my own. It has nothing to do with you; it's just the way I've always done it."

As he spoke, the hurt faded from Daisuke's eyes. When Satoshi finished speaking, the redhead gave him a soft smile. "I see, Hiwatari-kun. Just…remember, you're not alone anymore. I'll always help."

Surprised and faintly touched, Satoshi stared at him for a moment. Daisuke met the stare for a moment before shrugging uncomfortably and glancing away. "So, are we done researching together, then?"

"Did you look through the books I mentioned?" Satoshi asked, pulling himself together.

"Yeah, I didn't find a thing," Daisuke responded.

Satoshi began walking again as he considered what to do next. Both issues were important, and both needed to be worked on. But if Daisuke didn't have anything to read—

Well, if he could haul the material about the Edge of Sorrows to school, certainly he could take it to the library.

"Niwa, why don't we plan on meeting at the library tomorrow," he said slowly. "I'll bring the books that you need, so you can continue, and I'll work on my project."

Daisuke grinned at him. "That sounds cool. Are you sure it's okay?"

Satoshi nodded. "It's fine. After school, all right?"

"All right." Daisuke turned to head in the direction of his house. "Good luck with your stuff then, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good day, Niwa."

The redhead waved and trotted off, good humor apparently restored. Satoshi watched him go. He was glad Daisuke hadn't gotten tired of looking for a reason for the strange magical heaviness. He had a feeling that whatever answer they found, he wouldn't like it.


	43. Chapter 7: December 9

**Chapter 7: December 9**

Satoshi waited at the usual table in the library, his books spread out in front of him. He glanced at his watch.

Precisely one minute after they were supposed to have met, Daisuke came skidding through the door. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" he panted as he hurried up to the table. "Saehara was trying to flag me down, so I had to hide in the art room until he gave up."

Satoshi couldn't completely hide his small smirk. "Hiding from your friends now?"

"Just Saehara, and that's nothing new," Daisuke cracked with a grin, sitting down. "How many books did you bring today?"

"Three," he replied.

"Only three?" Daisuke frowned.

Satoshi sighed. "Three for you. I have my own set of material."

"Oh. Okay," Daisuke said cheerfully, snagging the book closest to him. "If you need a hand…"

"I think I'll be fine," Satoshi said carefully, trying not to repeat earlier mistakes. "Thank you."

Daisuke shrugged and flipped the book open, running a finger down the table of contents. He then seized a notebook and opened it to a fresh page, twirling a pencil between his fingers.

Satoshi turned his attention to his own book. With a vague feeling of guilt, he held it at such an angle that Daisuke would be unable to see what he was looking at.

For some reason, it was irritating him more and more that he had to hide what he was looking for from Daisuke. If there was only a way to get him to help without revealing that he was studying the Edge of Sorrows.

With a sigh, Satoshi flipped another page in the old book. As he did, his eyes glanced up from the page for a second…and met Daisuke's squarely.

The redhead immediately looked down at his notebook, hunching his shoulders over his notes as he scribbled intently.

The commander sighed and went back to his research, but now he painfully aware of every sidelong glance that the redhead gave him. After the fourth time Daisuke had been staring at him, only to go busily back to his work when Satoshi looked up, the commander had had enough. "Is something wrong, Niwa?" he asked pointedly.

Daisuke jumped and flushed slightly. "No, everything's fine. Why?" he asked brightly, looking at Satoshi innocently.

"You were staring…"

By this point, Daisuke was looking more innocent by the word. Satoshi half-expected a halo to appear over the red spiky hair. "What ever do you mean, Hiwatari-kun?"

"Never mind," Satoshi sighed, giving up.

Daisuke blinked at him twice before going back to his book.

Satoshi shook his head and tried to continue his own reading, but his concentration had been disrupted. "Niwa…" he began.

And then a soft chime interrupted him.

"Crap!" Daisuke, eyes wide, poked a button on his watch, at the same time trying to sink under the table to avoid the librarian's glare. "I thought I turned that down!"

Satoshi blinked at him, puzzled.

"Mom got me a watch with an alarm so I'll be on time," Daisuke explained, shoving his notebook into his bag. "I need to go or I'll miss dinner. Did you find anything?"

"No. Not really," Satoshi replied, standing as well and gathering his materials.

"Oh well. Maybe we'll find something tomorrow," the redhead said cheerfully, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking towards the door.

"Perhaps," Satoshi said thoughtfully.

Daisuke paused on the front steps of the library and took a deep breath of the cool afternoon air. "It's been so nice recently. It's almost a shame we have to study inside." He turned to his friend and gave Satoshi a sunny smile. "I still have a lot of energy. Maybe I'll go through some of Dad's books when I get home."

"Anything would help," Satoshi responded. "Just don't burn yourself out, Niwa."

"I won't," Daisuke told him. "There's that heist tomorrow; Mom will make me go to bed early for what she calls my 'beauty sleep.'" He laughed softly to himself. "Even though Dark doesn't need it."

A million responses ran through Satoshi's mind, but he stayed silent.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Daisuke said at last. "Bye."

Satoshi nodded. "Good night, Niwa."

Daisuke waved and headed off.

As Satoshi turned to return to his apartment, he noticed that the setting sun cast glints on Daisuke's red hair, making the boy's hair shine like fire.

He dismissed the thought as fanciful and walked into the deepening twilight.

XXXXX

Daisuke carefully shut the door to the basement behind him, cutting off the clanging sounds from the kitchen, and walked down the winding stairs to the basement.

_Now what are we doing?_ Dark whined.

_I told Hiwatari-kun that I might go through some of the books here, and I am, _Daisuke said firmly. _I know Dad hasn't read all the books down here. We might find something._

_We're researching **again**?! I had plans for tonight!_ Dark complained.

Daisuke rolled his eyes and began to continue down the stairs, but he paused at Dark's words, one foot in midair. _What kind of plans?_ he asked suspiciously._ We have a heist tomorrow. _

_Never mind now,_ the thief pouted.

The redhead frowned. _This is important, Dark._

_You never let me have any fun._

The teen shook his head and pushed open the door to the Niwa archives. They didn't have as many books as the Hikari, but they did have a library considerably larger than most normal families.

In fact, as Daisuke turned slowly in place, he realized with a slight sinking feeling just how large it really was.

_This is gonna take forever,_ Dark moaned.

_Haven't you ever looked at any of these books with your other hosts?_ Daisuke asked.

Dark shrugged. _I was usually asleep when they were reading unless it was something I was interested in._

Daisuke sighed. _Dad said that the books dealing with that time period start over on the third shelf. _

The teen walked over and picked up the first five books from the shelf. He carried them over to the table and sank into a chair.

He opened the first one and began to flip through it, scanning each page for mention of the Second Hand of Time, Freedert-san, Elliot-san, the sword, or anything else even remotely related to the whole incident.

_Oh look! I'm mentioned!_

Daisuke rolled his eyes. _Of course you are. Most of these books are about you._

_I wish I'd known that before,_ Dark said thoughtfully. _They're considerably more interesting now._

He ignored the thief and began to flip through the second book.

Three hours later, Daisuke had still found nothing of use.

_Shouldn't you be going to bed for that 'beauty sleep?'_

Daisuke snorted. _Like I said earlier, you don't need it._

_But you might,_ Dark sniggered.

With a scowl, Daisuke looked down at the last page of his book. _Nothing. _

_You're doing this all wrong, you know,_ Dark commented casually.

Daisuke, who was moderately frustrated by this point, flipped his current book shut with a snap. _All right then, what do **you** suggest?_

_Come **on**, Daisuke, haven't you seen any action-adventure movies?_

_Not recently, _Daisuke said sarcastically. _Just the one with Saehara, and what does that have to do with anything?_

_Saehara. Oh yeah. _Dark chuckled to himself.

Daisuke scowled.

_Anyway, _the thief explained, _in any movie, all the hero has to do is run his hand across the set of books, pick one at random, open it at random, and the information is right there! As un-random as can be!_

Daisuke blinked. _You're kidding, right?_

_No,_ Dark said in a hurt tone. _They do it all the time._

_You watch too much TV._

_How can I?_ Dark asked dryly. _I only get to see what you watch._

_Well, you insist on picking the channels, and that's not the point! _Daisuke took a deep breath. _That never works in real life._

Dark shrugged. _Well, we're not getting very far your way, are we? It's only fair we try it my way._

The redhead threw his hands in the air. _Fine! But when it doesn't work, we go back to my way and you stop complaining. Got it?_

_It'll work. _Dark sounded entirely unconcerned.

With a sigh, Daisuke walked over to one of the shelves he hadn't searched yet. Closing his eyes, he ran his hand lightly along the titles.

_Stop now,_ Dark ordered.

In a moment of rebellion, Daisuke picked the book next to the one Dark had chosen. He pulled it from the shelf, opened it to a random page and…it was a detailed description of how, during one heist, Dark had apparently dropped a priceless vase into the back of a horse-drawn cart. The thief had had to resort to a hold-up to get the vase back.

_You can shut the book now,_ Dark said humorlessly.

Daisuke snickered. _I told you it wouldn't work._

The thief sniffed. _It's your fault, you know. I wanted you to get the other book._

_I don't know,_ Daisuke grinned. _I'm sure Hiwatari-kun would love to see this._

Dark scowled. _I don't want to talk to you anymore._

_Finally! _Daisuke said with dramatic relief. _Now I can actually get some work done._ With that, he flipped the page…to reveal a full-length ink drawing of the Second Hand of Time. His eyes flew over the words, and his mouth dropped open.

_**Told** you it would work,_ Dark said smugly.

XXXXX

The door to the basement swung open and hit the wall with a crash audible in the living room. Emiko put her book down. "Dai-chan!" she called. "It's time for you to go to—"

Daisuke bolted through the living room and up the stairs to his bedroom. "Sure, g'night, Mom!" he called over his shoulder before he slammed his door shut.

Emiko blinked. "That was disturbingly easy."

Kosuke shrugged.

XXXXX

Daisuke seized his phone from its cradle and froze.

_What's up, Daisuke?_

_I don't know his number,_ the redhead said distantly. With a mental shrug, he turned and hurried back downstairs into the living room. His mom frowned at him. "Dai-chan? I thought you were going to bed."

"I am," he said, snagging the phone book that was sitting next to her and heading back upstairs.

"So what are you doing?" she hollered after him.

"Making a phone call!"

"Bed!"

Daisuke sighed, flipping the book open. Luckily, Satoshi's number was listed. "It's for school!" he called as he dialed.

"**Daisuke**…"

"It'll only take a minute, I **swear**!" Daisuke shouted.

"Niwa?" came the voice of a very, very, confused commander.

"Hiwatari-kun! Hi!" Daisuke exclaimed, kicking his door closed and muffling the sounds of his mother's protests. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Obviously. What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Daisuke straightened his shoulders. "I found out what happened with the Second Hand of Time," he announced.

"Really?" This time, Satoshi's voice carried a definite hint of intrigue. "What?"

"Well," Daisuke began, "The book I founds says that the Hikari knew that the Second Hand of Time was strong, but they couldn't destroy it, so they sealed it instead."

"Niwa," Satoshi began with a disappointed sigh, "We know that already."

"Let me finish. The guy who wrote this book I read says that since the Second Hand of Time was so strong, the seal that they had to put on it would have to be really strong as well. He says that if the seal ever broke, it would create a sort of magical pulse." Daisuke gripped the phone tighter. "Don't you see? When we broke the Second Hand of Time, it created a sort of backlash. I think all that released magical energy is what's creating the tension that we're feeling."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone line. "Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke asked. "Are you still there?"

"Yes," Satoshi said finally. "I was just…thinking."

Daisuke recognized that tone of voice. "What is it?"

"It's entirely possible," the commander began slowly, "that the magical pulse released when the Second Hand of Time broke weakened the seals on the other Hikari artworks."

"Yeah!" Daisuke's eyes widened. "Mom's had me and Dark do a lot more heists lately, since so much artwork is awakening."

"Since the seals were weakened, more than the normal amounts are breaking," Satoshi agreed.

"Wow," Daisuke said softly, mind racing. "How is this going to affect your own search? For that dangerous artwork you were talking about?"

Satoshi was quiet for a while. "I'm not sure." There was another pause. "This was very important, Niwa. Thank you for telling me about it."

Daisuke frowned slightly. "You don't have to thank me, Hiwatari-kun. Of course I would tell you what I found. Why wouldn't I?"

"Of course," Satoshi said softly.

The frown deepened. Daisuke really, really wished he could see Satoshi's face. He hadn't realized how much he had come to depend on seeing the tiny changes in the pale-haired teen's expression to determine how Satoshi felt.

"Hiwatari-kun, are you okay?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine," came the emotionless voice. "Just thinking, that's all."

Daisuke was unconvinced. "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure. I'll see you tomorrow, Niwa," Satoshi said softly. "Thank you for calling me."

"See you tomorrow," Daisuke replied helplessly, and he heard a click as Satoshi hung up.


	44. Chapter 8: December 10

**Chapter 8: December 10**

Saehara had been eyeing Daisuke for the entire day, and it was beginning to creep the redhead out just a little bit. Usually if Saehara had something to say, he'd say it. Loudly and continually, in front of as many people as possible. The fact that he was waiting until school was over greatly disturbed Daisuke.

When the class was dismissed, the redhead quickly maneuvered his way past the gossiping students and between chairs so that when Saehara managed to make it to where he usually sat, he was already standing next to Satoshi on the other side of the room.

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Niwa?"

"Saehara's trying to find me again," Daisuke explained, watching Saehara as best as he could without turning to fully face him. The reporter was trying to fight his way through the crowd to them, but the other students kept stopping him. "I have way too much stuff to do before the heist tonight without having to do his chores, too."

"Shall we go, then?" Satoshi said calmly, sliding his materials into his bag and standing.

Daisuke smiled at him. "Yeah. I'm sure you're gonna have just as busy an evening."

"Some," Satoshi admitted as they slipped out of the classroom.

"Are you going to spend some more time on that other project of yours?" Daisuke asked curiously. "You sounded kinda worried last night."

Satoshi pushed open the door to the courtyard. "Perhaps," he replied flatly, not looking at the redhead.

Taking the hint, Daisuke backed off. "Mom told me that she has a couple heists scheduled for this week. I'm not going to get any studying done," he told his friend with a sigh. "There's just so much material to memorize, you know?"

"Indeed."

"I wish Mom would cut back on the heists some," Daisuke continued.

Satoshi acknowledged Daisuke's words with a simple shrug. "We all do what we must," he said softly.

Daisuke looked at him sharply, surprised by the degree of sadness in his words. Satoshi still wouldn't look at him.

In an effort to cheer him up, Daisuke bumped Satoshi gently with his shoulder. "I think we lost him," he said in a mock-whisper.

Satoshi finally glanced at him.

Saehara burst out of a nearby bush. "There you are!" he announced, leveling a finger at the pair.

Daisuke jumped, pulling away from Satoshi. "Where did you come from?!"

"The bush," Saehara replied seriously.

"That's not what I meant," Daisuke sighed after a moment of dumbfounded silence. "How did you get there?"

Saehara smirked. "Talent. Where are you going?"

Daisuke blinked at him. "Home?" he offered.

The reporter shook his head. "Not today." He took a step forward, blocking their way. "You, Daisuke, have been avoiding us."

Daisuke blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Us!" Saehara thumped himself on the chest. "Me and Nishimura and Masahiro. You don't do anything with us anymore."

Sadly, he had a point. "I'm sorry, Saehara," Daisuke said, feeling vaguely guilty, "I've been really busy lately—"

"That's what you always say," Saehara interrupted. "I mean, come on, Daisuke, we're not stupid. I know you two are a couple and want to get your 'alone time'…but this is ridiculous."

Daisuke flushed slightly and ran a hand through his hair. "That's not—"

"You didn't even spend this much time with elder-Harada!" Saehara continued.

"I…" Daisuke sighed. "I promise I'll spend more time with you guys, Saehara."

"Good!" The reporter seized him by the arm. "Then you'll come watch the heist with us tonight."

"What?!" The redhead tried to pull away, but Saehara held on stubbornly.

"Nishimura found a great place; we don't even need binoculars. And you are coming with us."

Daisuke cast a panicked glance at Satoshi. "But Saehara, we had plans—"

Saehara paused in his attempts to haul Daisuke off and pondered Satoshi. "Hmm…well then, come along with us, Hiwatari."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow.

"After all," Saehara continued, warming to the idea, "Daisuke's a great friend to all of us, and if you two are really this serious, then we need to get to know you better."

"Saehara…" Daisuke began.

The reporter patted him on the head. "I know, it's a great idea. Come on, Hiwatari, I'm sure you'll have fun."

Satoshi didn't say anything. He simply studied Saehara with the same distant unconcern that one would use to examine a fly on the wall. A fly that was about to get squashed.

To Saehara's credit, he didn't back down immediately. He simply glared back at Satoshi.

Daisuke, still trapped by Saehara, glanced back and forth between the two, slightly worried. "Guys?"

Finally, Saehara gave up on Satoshi. "Well, Hiwatari, if it's not your thing, that's fine. But Daisuke's never come to watch a heist with us, and he should."

"I—I can't," Daisuke stammered.

Saehara frowned at him and tightened his grip. "Why not?"

"Uh…I have to do this thing for my mom," Daisuke told him.

"Riiight." Saehara shot a suspicious glance at Satoshi. "So call her and tell her that you're coming with us. She won't mind."

Daisuke winced. "Saehara, you **know** my mom."

"She'd get over it."

"Before or after she killed me?" Daisuke said sarcastically.

Saehara gave him a glare. "No excuses. We're all set up for you." He began tugging on Daisuke's arm.

_Dark!_ Daisuke called in desperation. _Help! What do I say?_

An image of Dark, feet propped up, munching popcorn, surfaced in his mind. _Oh, but I'm having fun watching you make up stupid excuses. _

_So help me make up one that's not stupid!_

Dark shrugged. _Tell him it's your mom's birthday. _

_I think I've used that before. _

"Come on, Daisuke!" Saehara demanded.

Satoshi stepped forward. "Saehara. Niwa said no."

Saehara's eyes narrowed, and he dropped Daisuke's arm in preparation for a battle.

_Dark! _

The thief started pumping his fist. _Fight! Fight! Fight!_

_**Dark!**_

_Anniversary,_ he suggested with a sigh.

"Anniversary!" Daisuke blurted.

Both Saehara and Satoshi gave Daisuke an odd look. "What?"

"It's my parents' anniversary," Daisuke said earnestly. "We're having dinner. I can't get out of it."

Saehara didn't seem to believe him. "It's their anniversary. Shouldn't they do something 'romantic' and 'alone?' You should suggest it, Daisuke. Then you could come."

Daisuke shook his head. "No, it's a family dinner. Fancy, dress-up, sit down, everybody dinner. Mom would kill me if I didn't come. Hiwatari-kun has to come, too," he added.

Satoshi gave him a sharp look.

Saehara noticed. "Forget to mention that, Daisuke?" he asked dryly.

"I was going to tell him, and then you jumped out of a bush!" Daisuke retorted.

Realizing that he'd lost, Saehara sighed. "Whatever, Daisuke. But you have to do something with us sometime, okay?"

"Of course," Daisuke said truthfully. "It's just been really crazy."

Saehara waggled a finger at him. "You're gonna regret it. We have perfect seats."

"Where?" Satoshi asked casually.

Accepting the offer of truce for what he thought it was, Saehara grinned. "There's this gigantic bush near the front door."

"Ah." Satoshi nodded. "Good spot."

"I thought so," Saehara said smugly. "Shame you guys are gonna miss it. Maybe I'll show you the pictures." He turned away and waved back over his shoulder. "Bye, guys. Enjoy your dinner."

Daisuke immediately sank down onto the nearest bench and groaned. "Why does he hate me?"

"He doesn't hate you," Satoshi said calmly. "But you should probably get up before he comes back to see what's wrong."

Instantly, Daisuke was back on his feet. "Let's go home."

They continued on their way in silence for a few minutes. Satoshi turned to glance at him. "Is it really your parents' anniversary?"

"No," Daisuke said promptly. "I just wanted to get us out of there before you and Saehara started fighting."

Satoshi frowned. "What makes you think that I would get into a fight with Saehara over something so trivial?"

"Oh, you wouldn't," Daisuke assured him. "He would. Why did you want to know where they were going to hide?"

"So I can assign an officer to remove them before either of us gets there," Satoshi replied calmly.

Daisuke grinned. "Thanks." They had arrived at the point at which they usually parted ways. "See you tonight, Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi nodded and turned away, but almost immediately turned back. "Niwa…Hashimoto is in charge again tonight. Just…be on your guard."

Daisuke smiled at him. "Thanks for the warning, Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi gave the redhead a tiny half-smile and continued on his way. Daisuke headed home.

XXXXX

Satoshi paced through the old mansion and sighed as his walkie-talkie crackled. He pulled it out of his pocket and raised it resignedly. "Hiwatari."

"Are you in place yet?" came the static-hazed voice of Hashimoto.

"Almost," Satoshi said coolly.

"What the hell is taking you so long?" the man asked irritably.

In the privacy of the long, crooked hallway, Satoshi scowled. "The house is built like a rabbit warren, as we discussed earlier," the teen said pointedly. "Since the house was added onto several times, many of the original halls no longer go anywhere. Navigating from point A to point B is somewhat difficult."

"I thought you memorized the map," came Hashimoto's somewhat-mocking voice.

Satoshi gave serious consideration to switching off the walkie-talkie, or simply throwing it out one of the windows, but he resisted the unprofessional urge. "I did, sir, but knowing where point B is does not make getting to it any easier."

"Those little nooks and crannies are perfect for us, Hiwatari." The man took a deep breath, and Satoshi braced himself to hear the plan all over again. "With a police officer hidden in each of them, and with all the small windows barred, the thief should be lured into the center of the house where the art is kept, and then be unable to get out."

"That's all well and good," Satoshi said with remarkable calm, "But those nooks and crannies are also ideal for the thief to hide in after he causes some sort of distress to drive the other officers out of hiding."

A brief moment of silence on the walkie-talkie followed Satoshi's calm prediction. Then, Hashimoto cleared his throat. "In any case, move it!" he barked gruffly. "Dark should be here in ten minutes, and I need you at your post. Hashimoto out."

The teen shoved the walkie-talkie back in his pocket and continued down the hall.

_Why do you let that worm speak so to you?_ Krad asked dangerously.

Satoshi kept his face perfectly blank. _He is my superior. For now. _

_I thought the other worm that calls itself your father was supposed to remedy that._

_It apparently hasn't happened yet,_ the commander answered calmly. _In any case, I am not going to concern myself with it now. I have more important things to do._

_Yes, like catching that thief,_ Krad said dryly. _If it is so important to you, Satoshi-sama, why do you continue to let him get away?_

Satoshi stopped walking as he reached his post. He peered through the glass door to the library where all of the owner's art was displayed. Dark's target tonight was a small porcelain vase.

_Ah yes, the Vase of Senses. _Krad sounded vaguely reminiscent. _The Hikari who made that was quite skilled. _

The teen opened the door to the library and stopped dead in the doorway, startled by the sudden wave of magical energy that emanated from the deceptively small jar. His eyes narrowed. _It is surprisingly strong._

Krad smiled.

Satoshi closed the door and locked it, moving to his post, a shadowed corner on the opposite end of the hall. The artwork was strong, dangerously so. Should Dark fail to steal it, Satoshi should probably make arrangements for it that were safer than the forgotten corner of some millionaire's eccentric home.

A hush fell over the house as several dozen police officers lay in wait for a phantom thief. Complete radio silence was to be maintained to prevent making any sounds that could tip off the thief.

Satoshi stood in his shadow, watching the faint glow of his watch tick down the final seconds until Dark was scheduled to appear.

And suddenly, with a sudden bang, a thick, acrid smoke filled the hallway. Coughs and curses rang out over the house as choking officers fled their hiding places to find air.

Satoshi yanked his handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it over his mouth and nose, waiting tensely. His patience was rewarded with the sound of the library door creaking. He dove out of his corner into the clearer air of the library.

A startled thief automatically turned to face him, caught in the act of reaching for the vase, which was on a table between him and the commander.

"Step away from the table," Satoshi rasped through a throat roughened from the smoke.

Dark grinned impudently. "Or what?"

Satoshi opened his mouth, but Dark didn't wait for an answer. He dove for the vase, and Satoshi lunged for it as well.

The thief actually tripped on a fold of the carpet and stumbled.

Satoshi's fingers brushed the oddly-cold surface of the jar, and a surge of magical energy pulsed through him, somehow funneling directly to Krad.

The commander yanked his hands away from the vase; but as he was doing so, Dark appeared, body-checking him out of the way.

Satoshi landed on the floor, the pain in his side rapidly being surpassed by the burning pain in his chest and on his shoulders as everything went white.


	45. Chapter 9: December 10

**Chapter 9: December 10**

_Dark!_ Daisuke gasped, looking at his prone friend,_ What did you do?_

_Oh, he's fine,_ Dark said dismissively, carefully tucking the vase, safely nestled in an insulating bundle of silk, into his knapsack. _See, he's getting up now._

The commander slowly got to his feet and turned to face him, glaring at the thief with a pair of slitted golden eyes.

"Oh shit," Dark gasped.

And faster than a blink of an eye, Krad transformed in a blinding swirl of white feathers. He emerged, a ball of ominously crackling light forming in his hands.

_Run!_ Daisuke yelped, and Dark bolted down the hall.

"Where are you going, Dark Mousy?" came the low voice behind him. "We have business."

A blast of energy nearly sent Dark sprawling, but he managed to keep his footing. The smoke from his bombs still hung thick in the hallway, which provided some cover. Unfortunately, it also made it impossible for Dark to see where he was going. Visibility was limited to a few centimeters in front of the fleeing thief. Walls and sharp turns appeared out of the smoke, giving Dark only seconds to avoid them. Just as he skidded around a corner, another one of Krad's attacks caught him squarely between the shoulders, knocking the thief forward.

"With!" he bellowed, managing to turn his fall into a tight somersault. He rolled as his wings appeared on his shoulders, and as he came out of the somersault, he launched himself into the air.

As the phantom thief rocketed down the low corridor, he cast a quick glance over his shoulder. Krad had similarly taken flight and was right behind him.

_Dark! The wall!_ The thief jerked his gaze back in front of him as another sharp corner loomed out of the smoke, and banked around it.

Another blast of energy blasted a crater in the wall to his side, and Dark immediately veered down a side hall.

_Where are we going?!_ Daisuke asked, panicked.

_I'll tell you when we get there! _Dark began to randomly zig and zag down corridors and halls until finally, when he looked over his shoulder, Krad was no longer there. _Great, now all we have to do is get out._

_How? Do you even know where we are?_ Daisuke cried. _You took so many turns that I'm totally screwed up. I don't know where we are anymore._

The thief shrugged, flaring his wings and hitting the ground running. _I don't know where an exit is, but we can always make one if we have to._ He rounded a corner and burst through a likely door...into a room full of red-eyed police officers.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Daisuke eeped.

For a moment, everyone just stared at each other.

Finally, the thief lifted a jaunty hand. "Hi!" he said brightly.

"After him!" cried an officer in the back, and as one, the entire group surged after the thief, who promptly turned tail and ran.

Dark quickly managed to outpace the police and ran back the way he came. And at the end of a hallway, waiting with a smirk, was Krad.

"Miss me?" the white curse inquired sardonically, and let loose with another attack.

Dark threw himself flat on the floor, and the ball of energy passed over his head. The thief immediately jumped back to his feet and into the air, letting his wings carry him up to the ceiling. Dark flew over Krad's head and down the hall, but he heard the other curse's wings beating behind him as he tried to catch up.

_Damn, but he must be draining Hiwatari dry to do this,_ the thief muttered as he sped up further.

_Dark, we have to get out of here,_ came Daisuke's voice from the back of his mind, tense with concern.

The thief frowned. _Tell me something I don't know. Tell me if you see a window._

_They're too small for us to fit through,_ the redhead protested.

_They are __**now**_, Dark said tightly.

_What do you mea—Duck!_

Daisuke's warning came a second too late, and Krad's attack sent Dark spiraling into a wall. He hit the stone with a smack, and he heard something crack ominously, but he wasn't sure if it was the stone or his ribs.

He landed in a heap at the bottom of the wall, and Krad approached, smiling. "Now, we talk."

"Go to hell," Dark spat, staggering to his feet and limping as fast as he could for the nearest door._ Daisuke, I might have to start drawing on your energy to get us out of here._

_Just get us out,_ came the infinitely trusting voice of the Tamer.

A pair of policemen appeared in the doorframe Dark was heading for. "Freeze! You're under…arrest…" Their voices trailed off as they took in the surprising sight of **two** winged creatures in front of them.

Krad curled his lip. "Pests," he said disdainfully, pulling a feather from nowhere and holding it at arms length. The two policemen stared at the mysteriously glowing feather for a moment before their eyes rolled back into their heads and they collapsed onto the ground.

"Bastard," Dark spat.

Krad shrugged. "They are only unconscious. Satoshi-sama would be angry otherwise. Besides," his eyes flared, "there is only one person I wish to kill tonight."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Dark snarled, tossing a bolt of his own back towards the white curse and diving past the unconscious policemen into the room. Krad dodged it easily, but it gave Dark the diversion he needed to get back into the air. _Daisuke! I need a window!_

_There!_

Dark gathered energy from the bond that connected him with Daisuke and concentrated. He blasted at the window. The attack blew out the glass and the bars, as well as widening the opening slightly. It would still be close. He sped up, angling towards the opening.

"You can't escape me, Dark!" Krad roared.

Dark rolled onto his back in mid-flight, and released all of his remaining energy and a good bit of Daisuke's in an explosion that caught the curse right in the face. He had enough time to see the surprised look on Krad's face before the whiteness of the blast blanked everything else out. He rolled over and dove through the window, just barely making it through. Dark burst into the clear night air and immediately headed back towards home.

_Do you think Hiwatari-kun's all right?_ Daisuke asked in frantic concern. _I mean, you hit Krad pretty hard. _

Dark shook his head in absolute disbelief. _Daisuke, we just got our asses kicked by that homicidal __**maniac**__, and you're all concerned about his Tamer?!_

_He's my friend, and I want to know if he's okay,_ Daisuke said stubbornly.

_I'm sure he's fine,_ Dark sighed.

_Dark!_

The thief scowled in frustration. _Dammit Daisuke!_ He abruptly banked and flew back towards the mansion. Luckily the police were still confused, so no one saw the thief returning. Dark did a quick fly-by of the side of the mansion he'd exited on, pausing for just a second by the window that he'd blasted through. Satoshi was lying on the floor, apparently unconscious, glasses next to him.

_Hiwatari-kun!_

_Daisuke!_ Dark snapped, flying back in the approximate direction of the Niwa house. _There's nothing we can do for him right now, okay? He's breathing, and he's not lying in a pool of blood. He'll be fine._

_Yeah._ Daisuke sounded somewhat subdued. _Thanks for going back._

Dark frowned. _You're welcome, but I'm __**not**__ doing that again. Okay? If we're escaping a heist, we can't stop to dawdle around the cops. Not unless you want us to get tossed in jail._

The redhead sighed. _No, I don't want that. _He paused._ Are you okay? _

Dark took a deep breath experimentally. _I think so. I thought we might have broken a rib, but I can still breathe fine. This is gonna hurt like hell in the morning though. _The thief's steady wingbeat faltered for a second as they flew over the fountain park. _Oh shit._

_Dark?_

Not bothering to reply, the thief dove towards the ground, and transformed about a meter above it.

Daisuke fell that last meter and landed with a painful thud on the ground. "That hurt," he moaned slightly, getting to his feet with effort.

_Sorry, Daisuke. I just can't do anymore._ The thief sounded absolutely exhausted.

_It's okay,_ the redhead reassured him. _I'll get us home._

Dark had just enough strength to make a faint sigh of gratitude before falling into an energy-drained sleep.

Daisuke stumbled to his feet, feeling like he weighed twice as much as normal. He swayed there for a moment before resolutely beginning the long walk home.

"Daisuke!" called the concerned voice of his father.

He looked up, too exhausted to be surprised. "Dad?"

Kosuke came running up and immediately threw his arm around his son. "Are you okay?"

Daisuke nodded slowly. "Just tired. Dark had to use some of my energy, he said."

The older man began to slowly walk with Daisuke towards the street. "What happened?"

"Krad," Daisuke sighed.

The arm around his shoulders tightened.

Daisuke looked up at his father. "How did you know where…"

Kosuke shrugged. "I figured out the straight route from the mansion to home as Dark flies, and simply drove that route in case you were in trouble. We were worried when you were in that house for so long."

Daisuke smiled faintly up at his father as they approached the family's old, rarely-used car. "Thanks, Dad."

The man smiled back down at him. "Anytime."

XXXXX

Inspector Saehara scowled as he stalked through the hallways toward the site of the explosion. "All units, report," he barked into his walkie-talkie. Since Hashimoto was conferring with a spectator who had seen the direction of Dark's escape, it was Saehara's job to gather everyone up to see what had gone wrong this time around.

Officers sounded off one by one, and he frowned. Three people hadn't reported in. Two of those had been stationed outside of the room Dark had blasted out of…and the third was Commander Hiwatari.

The two officers were just regaining consciousness as he walked up, and Saehara stopped to confer with them briefly before entering the room. One wall had a rather impressive hole in it, while various black scorch marks marred the other stone walls.

And in one corner of the room lay Commander Hiwatari, unconscious.

Concerned, Saehara knelt down next to him and, with surprising gentleness, shook one shoulder. "Commander?" he called softly.

After a moment, Satoshi opened his eyes. Reflected there for a split second was a look of dazed confusion, and Saehara was strongly reminded of the fact that Satoshi was only fifteen…the same age as his own son. Then the confusion was gone, replaced by the customary professionalism that Saehara had come to expect.

Satoshi slowly sat up from his prone position, casting a glance around the floor for his glasses. "Report, Inspector."

"Well," Saehara began sourly, "Obviously, he got away. There was a considerable amount of property damage this time; the perp appeared to use smoke bombs as cover, but we only had a few men injured. Two knocked unconscious…three if you count yourself." He sighed. "Oh, and the officers who were knocked out reported seeing two winged, Dark-like figures, but there was a lot of smoke, so I'm not sure how accurate their perceptions were."

"Of course," Satoshi agreed neutrally. "Dark's never worked with an accomplice before; it seems highly unlikely that he would start now."

"That's what I thought," Saehara told him.

Satoshi started to get up, and Saehara solicitously placed a hand on his back to steady him. When the commander was up, he pulled the hand back.

A flash of color caught his eye. His fingers were tinged red. Confusion rising, Saehara cast another glance at the commander. "Are you hurt?"

Satoshi's gaze grew colder. "I'm fine."

Saehara wasn't stupid. "You're bleeding. Commander."

"I was cut by the flying glass when Dark broke that window," Satoshi told him flatly.

"You should have it looked at by a doctor," Saehara said gruffly.

"It's merely a shallow cut, nothing to be concerned about. It's not worth the paperwork."

Saehara gave up. "Okay, if you're sure."

"I am." Satoshi was quite firm. "It's minor, nothing that needs to be reported to the administration."

And suddenly, the reason for Satoshi's reticence became clear. "Ah. Of course."

Satoshi nodded once. "Thank you, Inspector. Good night."

He exited, and Saehara watched him go, a thoughtful look in his eye. The brat had a stubborn streak that was only slightly less than a mile wide, as well as being arrogant and obnoxious…but Saehara could see how working for your father could be stressful. And having that job yanked out from under you by a newcomer couldn't help, either.

He turned and walked back into the room, staring at the huge hole Dark had somehow managed to put in a solid stone wall. Something outside glinted in the moonlight, and the Inspector took a few steps toward the hole and stopped, peering down at the ground a meter below.

The ground was covered in bits of broken glass. Dark had apparently smashed the window outwards. In the opposite direction in which Hiwatari Satoshi had been thrown.

Saehara frowned.


	46. Chapter 10: December 11

ASN: Sorry I didn't get this uploaded this morning, but this chapter's nice and long and definitely worth the wait.

AN: We promise.

**Chapter 10: December 11**

Daisuke opened his eyes blearily. Why was it, every time there was an encounter with Krad, he woke up feeling as though he'd had someone tap-dance on him the entire night? He hurt all over. Even his **hair** hurt.

_Dark?_ he probed cautiously. _Are you okay?_

_Mmm…go 'way,_ Dark mumbled back after a moment. _I don't feel good. _

_Tell me about it._ Daisuke wearily sat up, rubbing his eyes. Luckily there was no worry about going to school today, since it was Sunday. He could spend the entire day getting himself put back together.

"Daisuke?" Towa came hurrying into his room with a gigantic rabbit shaped mug. "Here, I made something for you. Make sure you drink it all, all right?"

"Thanks, Towa-chan." Too tired to even whine about the taste, Daisuke took the cup and drained it. He handed it back and waited for the dose to take effect. Sure enough, a few minutes later, it was possible to face the world again.

"How do you feel?" she pressed, looking worried. "I still have half a teapot downstairs if you want it."

"I'm fine, I think." Daisuke carefully climbed out of bed and gave her a passable imitation of his sunny smile. "See? I already feel much better."

"If you're sure…" She took the cup and started to exit. "It's already time for lunch, so if you're hungry, come on down."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I never eat anything the day after." Then, he paused thoughtfully. That sounded familiar…

"Daisuke?" Towa was looking at him oddly. "Are you okay?"

"That's it!" He snapped his fingers as he remembered. "I told Hiwatari-kun that, the last time!"

Towa frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The last time we fought, Hiwatari-kun and I were talking, and I mentioned that I don't eat after a fight with Krad," Daisuke explained. "He looked just as bad as I felt."

"How awful…do you think he's okay?" Towa asked him, the confusion being replaced with concern.

Daisuke stopped. "I—I don't know…"

Dark made a noise in the back of his mind. _Do we __**have**__ to go find out?_

_What are you talking about? _Daisuke responded, a little embarrassed. _Who says I was going to go check on him? _

_I could sense it coming,_ Dark responded, still sounding cranky._ You're predictable like that. _

_Do you think it's a good idea?_

_No, and that's why you're going to go. Just be quiet, okay?_ Dark said dismissively, and drifted back to sleep.

Daisuke waved a hand at Towa. "Towa-chan, would you mind putting the rest of the tea in a container for me?"

"Sure, Daisuke!" she said with a smile. "I hope it helps." And she bounced out of the room. He dressed gingerly and followed.

He hoped it would help, too.

XXXXX

Daisuke couldn't help but wonder how many times one had to ring the doorbell before it was considered insistent and rude. Eight times? Nine?

He hoped not, since this was the twelfth.

With a small sigh, he pressed the button again, hearing the ring faintly behind the apartment door.

This time, the door creaked open slowly. Daisuke smiled brightly, and Satoshi looked out at him groggily. Puzzlement creased his tired face once he realized who his visitor was.

"You…?"

He looked absolutely awful. Daisuke thought for a moment that the effort to open the door had been too much and that Satoshi was going to collapse. He was dangerously pale, obviously in some degree of pain, and the loose A-shirt and khakis that he wore only emphasized how sick he looked.

"Hiwatari-kun!" Concerned, Daisuke invited himself inside, stepping over the threshold and shutting the door with one foot as he studied his friend. Satoshi just stared at him bemusedly. "Are you all right?"

The commander blinked and shook his head once, as if to clear it. "Why are you here?"

"I was worried about you," Daisuke admitted. "For good reason, too. Why don't you go sit down and I'll warm Towa-chan's tea."

Comprehension was beginning to dawn in Satoshi's eyes. "You're…trying to help me?"

"Go sit," Daisuke repeated firmly. "We'll talk more in a minute."

"You're not going to go away, are you?" Satoshi asked, sounding a little more normal—sarcastic, but normal.

"Nope."

With a deep sigh, Satoshi turned away and headed toward the couch. And as he turned his back to Daisuke, the redhead couldn't completely muffle his gasp of shock.

He glanced back. "What is it?"

"Your back!" Daisuke took a step forward, stretching out a hand towards the raw, still-bleeding wounds clearly visible through the thin cotton shirt.

Satoshi stepped back out of Daisuke's reach and turned so that he was facing him. His face was strained. "It's fine."

"No, it's not! You're bleeding!"

"Niwa…leave me alone."

Daisuke looked at him and neither one said anything for a moment. Then the redhead's face set. "No. You need help."

"I do not," Satoshi protested.

"Well, you're getting it anyway." With that, Daisuke stepped past him, making his way into the kitchen. He busied himself finding a teapot, trying not to look up to see if Satoshi was watching or not.

When he finally stuck his head out to check, Satoshi was sitting on the couch, giving him a look that was not quite a glare…but close.

"How much tea do you think you can handle?"

"About half a cup," Satoshi responded reluctantly after a moment.

Daisuke poured a little more than that into a mug and brought it out. Satoshi took it hesitantly. "Is this…green tea?"

"No, it just looks green," Daisuke responded with a shrug. "Towa-chan's teas always look and taste weird, but they help."

Satoshi sipped the drink cautiously, and coughed. "You know, Niwa, poison is detectable in autopsy."

The redhead chuckled. "It's not poison, no matter what it tastes like. And it will help, trust me."

When Satoshi began to set the mug aside, Daisuke held up a finger. "Drink it all, Hiwatari-kun."

The commander was definitely glaring at him now. "There are times when you eerily resemble your mother."

Taking it as a compliment, Daisuke stood. "I suppose. Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure," Satoshi told him as he took another small sip of the tea.

Daisuke headed in the direction of the back rooms. He walked into the bathroom and frowned. The shirt Satoshi had been wearing last night was lying draped on the shower curtain rod, bloody tears in the back.

Rifling through the cabinets quickly, he gathered up an armful of bandages and antibiotic ointment. Then he headed back to the living room.

Satoshi looked up when he returned. A frown crossed his face when he saw what Daisuke had. "Niwa—"

"Don't say anything," Daisuke interrupted. "You're hurt, I'm going to help, and you can't stop me. Not until you feel better, anyway."

Obviously annoyed, Satoshi stood up. "The tea did help quite a bit, Niwa. But you don't need to do anything else. I'm sure you feel just as bad as I do."

Daisuke blinked. "Is that why you're so upset about me helping you? I'm okay, Hiwatari-kun, really."

"That's not what I—" Satoshi gave up with a sigh. "All right, Niwa. What do you want me to do?"

Daisuke dropped the supplies onto the coffee table and headed into the kitchen. "I'm going to get some hot water and a rag," he called. "Did you drink all the tea?"

"Yes."

"Do you want anymore?"

Satoshi came into the kitchen silently and placed the mug in the sink. "No. You don't have to do this, Niwa."

"Stop being so negative," Daisuke chided. He picked up the bowl of water and snagged a towel lying on the counter. "Come on."

He returned to the living room, and Satoshi followed after him. "Go ahead and sit down," Daisuke directed. "And you need to take your shirt off, or I'll get water all over it."

Satoshi glanced sideways at him, but did as instructed, sitting so that his back was facing Daisuke.

The wounds were even worse up close. Ragged and red, they looked as though someone had taken a dull, serrated knife and sawed at Satoshi's shoulders. "This looks horrible, Hiwatari-kun."

He said nothing in response, so Daisuke dipped the towel into the water and gingerly patted the area.

Satoshi hissed and flinched away.

Daisuke promptly dropped the towel on the floor in dismay. "I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun!"

"It's fine," he replied after a moment. "I was just…surprised."

He nodded, even though Satoshi couldn't see him. "All right, then. Are you ready now?"

"Yes."

The redhead picked the towel back up and began washing the older boy's shoulders, chatting about school in order to fill the silence. As he worked, the wounds began to bleed more freely. Soon the water in his bowl was a sickly pink color. "How are you doing?"

"Fine." Satoshi's voice was slightly strained.

"I'm going to go get more water. Be right back." Daisuke darted into the kitchen, dumping the bowl and refilling it quickly. He came back to find Satoshi shifting uncomfortably.

"Do you want to lie down?" he asked.

Satoshi shook his head. "No. It just stings."

"Yeah." Daisuke sat back down and continued. As he did so, he noted in one corner of his mind how thin Satoshi's shoulders were. How thin he was all over, actually.

"What is it?" the commander asked suddenly.

Daisuke twitched in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You were quiet for longer than thirty seconds."

"Oh." The redhead frowned, and then decided to go ahead. "You're really skinny, you know that?"

"Family trait."

Nothing was said for a moment. "Well, you just seem like you could use a little more food. Maybe I'll start packing a bigger lunch," Daisuke mused.

Satoshi glanced back at him. "Don't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because…you don't have to."

Daisuke smiled carefully at him. "I know that, but you're my friend."

Satoshi looked away and didn't respond. Daisuke frowned. Silence was the commander's usual reply to statements of friendship, but for some reason, his lack of reaction touched a nerve today.

"You **are** my friend, right?" he pressed.

Satoshi looked back at him with a vague expression of surprise. "What?"

Daisuke sat back and crossed his arms. "It's a simple question—are you my friend?"

"Our…our families—" Satoshi began to say, but Daisuke waved a hand, dismissing the words.

"That doesn't matter. This isn't about our families; it's about you and me. I consider you a friend. I always have. But you've never told me one way or the other what you feel."

The expression on his face was slowly becoming one of bitterness. "Niwa…I don't have friends. I can't."

Daisuke shook his head. "That's not true, Hiwatari-kun."

"It is," Satoshi insisted, looking serious. "Each friend, each person that I care about is just a way to give Krad more power. And then I won't be able to control him."

Temporarily set back, Daisuke considered this. Then something came to mind, and he moved closer. "Is Krad awake?"

Satoshi blinked, confused by the sudden change in conversation. "Well…"

"You see, Dark's asleep, and so he's not listening to anything I say," Daisuke continued. "That means if Krad's asleep, he's not going to hear either."

"Perhaps," Satoshi allowed slowly. "Where are you going with this?"

"Krad can't gain power from something he never heard. So tell me—are you my friend?"

The commander sighed deeply, conceding defeat for the second time that day. A very slight smile touched his lips as he made eye contact. "As much as can be, Niwa—yes."

A bright smile lit the redhead's face. "See, that wasn't so hard."

The sardonic look Satoshi gave him merely made Daisuke chuckle. "All right, turn back around. I'm going to go ahead and put the medicine on now. It might sting."

Satoshi nodded permission, and Daisuke proceeded to smooth antibiotic ointment on the gashes. As he ran his hands over the deep, ugly lesions, his thoughts turned to something else.

"How badly does it hurt?" he asked softly. "When they come out."

A few minutes of silence stretched on. Just when Daisuke thought perhaps he hadn't heard and prepared to repeat himself, Satoshi spoke. His voice was oddly distant, as though he was in another world…or a memory.

"Most of the time, it burns. It starts in the shoulder blades, just a faint pain, and then it extends its way across your body until you feel like you're on fire from the inside out.

"Sometimes, it begins as a faint itching sensation. Soon, it grows until it's like your skin is crawling with thousands of irritating insects, and it's so distracting that you almost relax when the pain finally takes over.

"But, very rarely…there's no pain, just a sense of relief, like the feeling of a pent-up pressure being released at last."

Daisuke had stopped bandaging and listened intently. Satoshi glanced back at him. His face hardened and he abruptly returned to his normal self, sitting up straight and scooting a little farther away. "It doesn't matter."

"Hiwatari-kun…" Daisuke laid a hand gently on his upper arm. "Thank you. For talking to me."

Again, he didn't respond. Daisuke finished wrapping the wounds and leaned back, critically surveying his work. "Okay, I think I'm done."

Satoshi immediately stood and moved away, pulling his shirt back on. Something twinged in Daisuke's chest, but he ignored it. "Be careful or you'll mess them up."

The other boy made a noncommittal noise and gathered up the remaining first aid supplies. "I'll put these back."

"Okay." Daisuke watched him disappear and sighed mentally. Sometimes he just couldn't figure the teen out.

He picked up the bowl of water and trotted to the kitchen, where he dug around in the cabinets until he found some dishwashing liquid. Filling the sink, he washed the mug and bowl, thinking hard about what Satoshi said. Was he always hurt like that after a fight? Why hadn't he noticed until now?

He dried the bowl absentmindedly, turned around, and squeaked. Satoshi was standing right in front of him, looking serious.

"H-Hiwatari-kun…?"

Softly, a hand landed on his shoulder. "Thank you, Niwa-kun," Satoshi said in a whisper. "I appreciate what you've done for me."

Daisuke stared at him silently. The look Satoshi was giving him was unreadable, but for some reason, it made Daisuke think of what it had felt like when he had kissed him. His lips had been warm and soft…gentle…like his hand was…

Satoshi pulled away suddenly, breaking the silence. "You should go."

"But…"

"Go, Niwa. You need to rest just as much as I do." Satoshi turned toward the couch. "I'm sure your parents are worried, as well."

"Yeah, probably," Daisuke agreed reluctantly. He didn't really want to leave, though. He wanted to…to…

Satoshi was looking at him oddly now. "Niwa, are you coming?"

Emboldened by a sudden sense of 'now or never', Daisuke made his decision.

He grabbed Satoshi's hand and, before he could pull away, pressed himself against the taller boy. Then, he tilted his head up and kissed him softly.

Whatever Satoshi blurted in surprise was too muffled to understand, so Daisuke ignored it and moved in closer, wrapping one hand around the other's waist and deepening contact. Satoshi's hands, which had clenched onto Daisuke's shoulders at first, slowly relaxed and slipped down his back.

They kissed gently, hesitantly, until at last Daisuke pulled away to take a breath. He glanced up shyly and, to his surprise, saw that Satoshi's cheeks were tinged slightly pink.

"What—what was that?" Satoshi brushed a loose lock of hair out of his eyes and swallowed. "I thought—"

Daisuke shrugged and took a step away in order to give him some room. His knees were beginning to shake. "Well…"

The pink was beginning to fade, but Satoshi's eyes were still somewhat glazed. "Why did you do that?"

Gathering up all his courage, Daisuke gave him a shaky-yet-somehow-cocky grin, reminiscent of Dark. "Honestly, Hiwatari-kun…because I wanted to."

With that, he fled from the kitchen and out of Satoshi's apartment, snagging his container of tea on the way out. Still fuzzy and mildly confused from the kiss, Satoshi didn't follow.

As Daisuke plodded home, he considered what had happened. It had been a fairly cool exit line, he thought. Dark would approve—if he didn't retch at the very situation.

Now that he thought about it, it was probably good that Dark had slept through the entire thing.

He pointedly did not think about why it had felt so right.

XXXXX

Kosuke was waiting for Daisuke whenever he finally slipped into the house almost two hours after he had left. He stood up from the couch and walked silently into the hall as Daisuke hung his coat in the closet.

"How's Hikari-san?" he asked softly.

Daisuke jumped. "Dad! I didn't see you."

A look of concern came over Kosuke's face. "A lot on your mind?"

The redhead's eyes widened. "No," he said unconvincingly.

"Ah." Kosuke gestured to the living room. "Come sit down."

Daisuke did so a little hesitantly. "I told Towa-chan where I was going. Didn't she tell you?"

"She did," Kosuke assured him. "I just wanted to catch you before your mother did."

"Whatever it is, I didn't mean to," Daisuke said hurriedly.

Kosuke blinked at him and then chuckled. "It's nothing like that, Daisuke. Usually, Emiko talks so incessantly that by the time she lets you go, you're too tired to talk to Daiki or me."

Daisuke smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, Mom can be a little much sometimes." He shrugged. "But I like talking to her. She has good ideas and some really awesome stories."

"And so have you, lately," Kosuke said, seizing upon the opening.

"What do you mean?" Daisuke looked puzzled.

"Well, ever since you began researching with Hikari-san, you've been coming home with so much information. Tales of ancient arts, long-lost treasures, supposed curses—it's been fairly riveting."

A suspicious look came over his son's face. "If you want me to sneak around in Hiwatari-kun's books to look for something again—" he began, a little hotly.

"No, Daisuke, no." Kosuke shook his head. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"Worried about what?"

Kosuke considered dancing around the subject some more, but finally decided to jump right in. "Is everything all right between you and Hikari-san?"

The look of panic on Daisuke's face flew by so quickly Kosuke thought he may have imagined it. "Oh, everything's fine," the teen told him…obviously hiding something.

"Well," Kosuke looked at him carefully, "after you and your mother had that rather heated discussion over the, uh, the charade that you and Hikari-san are acting out at school, you just stopped talking about him. At all."

"I—"  
Kosuke continued on blithely. "I know there's no way that you're keeping quiet about him simply to appease your mother. You have too much loyalty to your friends to back down when you think you're truly right."

"We—"  
"And since you hadn't said anything about him lately, I thought perhaps you two had fought," Kosuke finished, studying his son with concern.

Daisuke looked slightly bemused. "No, no fight. I…we just haven't found much interesting lately."

"Nothing interesting…in the books?" Kosuke asked leadingly.

From the look of shock that had crossed Daisuke's face, he knew that the unspoken part of his question had been clearly understood. "Nothing interesting anywhere. In anything. At all!"

"I see." Knowing that Daisuke wouldn't tell him anything further today, Kosuke gave up. "So…there's nothing you two need to talk out?"

"No, nothing," Daisuke denied…a little too quickly.

"Okay." Kosuke nodded and stood. "I just don't want you getting hurt, that's all," he said softly.

Daisuke looked at him, a trifle surprised. Then, he broke into a smile reminiscent of Emiko at her sunniest. "Thanks, but there's nothing wrong."

"If you say so." Having assuaged his worries to some degree, Kosuke left the room. There was a clatter on the stairs as Daisuke headed to his bedroom, and the older man frowned.

His son had never lied to his face before.


	47. Chapter 11: December 12

**Chapter 11: December 12**

Satoshi overslept on Monday and consequently woke to feelings of panic. A cautious probe towards Krad revealed that the curse was still in his exhausted slumber, recovering from the fight.

The teen relaxed slightly. That meant that his own fatigue was also probably due to the effects of the fight, and not from Krad having taken over again during the night. Satoshi had increased his shields and barriers as much as he had dared, but he still wasn't sure if they would be strong enough to block Krad.

In any case, Satoshi had to hurry if he wasn't going to be late for school for the second time in as many weeks.

He managed to get to there in time, although just barely. Daisuke had actually arrived before him, and the redhead gave him a small, shy smile before quickly turning back to his book.

Satoshi sat down at his desk as the sensei walked in, and class began.

XXXXX

Daisuke had planned on eating lunch with Saehara and Nishimura, so he could avoid having to explain his actions of last night. Unfortunately, the two accidentally blew up their science experiment during class and singed the ends of Risa's hair, so they were held after class for a nice long lecture. Leaving Daisuke with no one to eat with.

Except Satoshi.

The redhead looked long and hard at the staircase leading up the roof. Satoshi had gone up without waiting for him, but he didn't usually wait for Daisuke anyway. Perhaps it was all okay then, and there wasn't anything they needed to talk out and everything would go back to the way it was before.

_Fat chance. _

_Dark!_ Daisuke was unaccountably flustered. _I didn't know you were here. _

Dark looked at him, dumbfounded. _I live in your head, Daisuke. Where else would I be?_

_Good point,_ Daisuke admitted, embarrassed._ Why are you awake then?_

_Your blithering woke me up,_ Dark said sourly. _Apparently I missed something yesterday when I was asleep. _

Daisuke flushed slightly. _It's not that important. _

_Oh, of __**course**__ not,_ Dark said, the sarcasm practically drilling holes in Daisuke's skull. _If making out with your sworn enemy isn't important, perhaps you can tell me what is. _

_How do you know about that?! _

_Again,_ _you were blithering. It woke me up. _

_Sorry,_ Daisuke offered. He fidgeted with the shoulder strap of his bag. _Well, what should I do?_

_You should be quiet, for starters, _Dark growled.

_Dark!_

Dark snorted. _Daisuke, you got yourself into this without my help. You're on your own. _

_No, Dark, wait, _the redhead said desperately. _I need your help!_

_Daisuke, _Dark said in exasperation, _I don't care. I'm exhausted, power-drained, and I feel. Like. Shit. I don't care. _

Daisuke frowned. _You don't mean that. _

_Oh, yes. Yes, I do. _Dark sighed. _Daisuke, you're a big boy. It's your decision. Go up there. Make up with him, don't make up with him, make out with him, whatever. Just be quiet about it, okay?!_

_Dark…_

_I'm going back to sleep. Have fun._

With a start, Daisuke realized he was now standing at the top of the stairs. _Um—now what?_

_Good night, Daisuke. _

Daisuke's shoulders slumped. _G'night, Dark. _With that, the thief fell back into his exhausted slumber and promptly began snoring. Daisuke sighed and stared at the back side of the roof's fire door, debating whether or not he should go out. He had to face Satoshi some time…but he didn't have to do it now. He could just wait and see if Satoshi brought it up. If he didn't, then…Daisuke frowned. If Satoshi didn't bring it up, what **did** that mean?

As the redhead's thoughts grew more chaotic, the thief muttered darkly in his sleep. Daisuke heard and abruptly stopped. He had to make a decision.

And then it was made for him.

The fire door opened suddenly, and Satoshi almost ran into him.

"Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke said, surprised.

"Niwa," Satoshi stared at him. "Why were you just standing there?"

"Umm…" Daisuke thought rapidly. "I, uh, I dropped something!" He immediately began looking around him on the floor and the steps below him.

"What?"

Daisuke looked up into the knowing blue eyes of the commander and flushed. "What?"

"What did you drop?" Satoshi asked patiently.

"Umm…"

The pale-haired teen sighed. "You're a horrible liar, Niwa."

Daisuke flushed deeper.

Satoshi looked at him appraisingly for a long moment. "I think we need to talk." He stepped back onto the roof, holding the door open.

Daisuke, feeling somehow trapped, followed. He walked over to his usual spot and sat down with forced casualness. "Talk about wh—"

The blue eyes flashed. "Don't say it."

Startled and somewhat ashamed, Daisuke stopped. He stared at Satoshi, eyes wide. "Are you mad at me?"

"For yesterday?" Satoshi asked bluntly.

Wincing, Daisuke nodded.

"No," the commander said calmly. "I was, I **am**, surprised, but I'm not angry, Niwa."

"Well, that's good," Daisuke said, smiling weakly.

"Niwa," Satoshi began with surprising uncertainty, "Do you even know what you're doing?"

Daisuke thought for a moment. "No," he answered honestly. "I don't, not really."

He stared at Satoshi, and the older teen stared back.

The bell rang somewhere below them.

Satoshi stood up quickly, and Daisuke followed suit, feeling relieved. "I guess we should go back to class," he offered.

The commander gave him a searching look, then nodded, a similar smile of relief ever-so-faintly on his own features. "Yes, we probably should."

The two left the roof and walked downstairs without another word, yet Daisuke somehow felt more comfortable than he had before lunch. He grinned at Satoshi, and the pale-haired teen smiled slightly in response.

And deep within Daisuke's mind, Dark rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. _Pathetic._

XXXXX

Satoshi sat in the back of the gymnasium and watched his classmates play volleyball with the detached gaze of someone from another world. He had once asked to be allowed to read during gym class; or better yet, to be excused from the class all together and spend the period in the computer lab or the library. Instead, he had been told that he had to at least sit in the same room as the others in his class. Satoshi reasoned that the decree had been made in the hope that Satoshi would eventually get tired of being left out and started participating of his own accord.

Needless to say, the teachers had overestimated his 'need to belong.'

However, Satoshi did acknowledge that being forced to watch had some benefits. For instance, if he hadn't been watching the day the unfortunate Mio Hio had attempted to charm Daisuke with that cursed necklace, the Niwa might have drowned.

That didn't make everyday watching any more interesting, though.

He flicked his gaze to the team on the far side of the room and watched as a spiky-haired redhead stood, hands on his knees, watching the white ball bounce back and forth. The pale-haired teen smiled slightly at the look of intent concentration on the boy's face. It was the same look of determination that Daisuke often wore. For acting as flighty and careless as the Niwa often did, Daisuke showed surprising resolve and responsibility. The flightiness and carelessness were just that, an act.

Krad muttered something darkly in the back of Satoshi's mind, and the teen immediately blanked his thoughts. The curse quickly subsided back into sleep, but the sudden presence had made Satoshi wary.

He had to find out what Krad wanted with the Edge of Sorrows. The teen's eyes went hard and grim. It was time to get back to work. To get focused once more.

XXXXX

As the school bell rang to signal the end of the day, Daisuke twisted around in his seat to gaze at Satoshi. The commander was quickly gathering his books and papers.

Daisuke tossed his own bag over his shoulder and walked back to his friend's desk. "In a hurry or something, Hiwatari-kun?" he asked cheerfully.

The commander gazed up at Daisuke, eyes curiously distant. "In a way."

The redhead smiled slightly, but he didn't think he could hide his disappointment. "Have plans, then?"

Swinging his bag onto his shoulder, Satoshi stood up. "I have to go to the library."

"Want some company?" Daisuke asked hesitantly.

Satoshi blinked at him for a moment before his eyes finally softened. He smiled slightly at the Niwa. "Thanks for the offer, but I should probably work on this by myself." He stood up, heaving his bag onto his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Niwa."

Daisuke finally recognized the look in Satoshi's eyes. The blue eyes looked troubled, almost worried. "Hiwatari-kun," he said softly, lightly touching his friend's shoulder. "If you need help, just ask, okay?"

Surprised, Satoshi looked back at him. "Thank you, Niwa-kun," he said softly.

And the pale-haired teen smiled at him, a small but reassuring smile that made Daisuke feel somehow warmer. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Daisuke grinned back, and watched Satoshi turn and go.

_You're grinning like an idiot, you know that, right?_ Dark observed sourly.

Daisuke turned to leave the classroom and go his own way home. _I am not_, he protested, but he could feel the smile on his face.

_You are._

The redhead shrugged. _Whatever. _


	48. Chapter 12: December 12

ASN: Well, we think all the author alerts and update emails are working again.

AN: I suddenly got 35 new comments in my inbox, so ours are working, anyway.

ASN: Hopefully the bugs or whatever got fixed out and the system stays working, knock on wood.

AN: (immediately starts banging her head against the wall)

ASN: Knock on WOOD! WOOD, not plaster!

AN: Sorry… (slumps gently to the floor)

ASN: That's the last time I'm letting her have ice cream for lunch. Anyway, without further ado or mayhem, today's chapter:

**Chapter 12: December 12**

For some reason, it was hard to concentrate today. Satoshi had a suspicion that it might have been due to a curiously-perceptive redhead, who had looked at him so seriously, with so much concern, and who had offered his help.

When had Daisuke learned to read him so well? He shook his head, almost as if that physical movement could send the Niwa from his thoughts, and concentrated instead on his research. He took a deep breath and narrowed his focus to the axe, at last finding the concentration he needed.

Satoshi picked up yet another text on axes and paged through it. The art section donated by his Hikari ancestors had several books on weapons, a fact that Satoshi found intriguing. However, so far none of the books in the library contained anything of use, even as part of the background that Satoshi was trying to build.

And to make matters worse, Krad was finally waking up from his long slumber. And he was very curious about Satoshi's new research. _What are you looking at, Satoshi-sama?_

Satoshi tensed imperceptibly. _Why do you care?_

_I always care what you do,_ the curse said lightly. _Tell me._

The teen showed absolutely no emotion. _The Niwa continue in their search for the Taro axe. If I can find it first, then I can hide it away where they'll never reach it._

Krad pondered that. _A worthy goal. Have any luck?_ he asked casually.

Sighing, Satoshi shook his head. _Nothing. It's no wonder the axe has been lost for centuries. Very little actual information has been written about it._

_Perhaps you should try the archives back at the apartment,_ Krad suggested.

Satoshi stilled. Krad's apparent helpfulness was worrying. If Krad wanted the axe badly enough that he didn't care if Satoshi found it first, then he was quite confident in his knowledge and abilities. Anxiety turned the food in his stomach to lead, but he kept those emotions hidden deeply away. He had to get Krad on to another subject while acting no different than usual. _In any case, it's probably not that large a concern. The Niwa don't appear to have had any more success than I. _He allowed a bit of suspicion to color his tone. _Why are you being helpful?_

_I've always tried to help you, _Krad protested nobly. _Why don't you trust me? _

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. _The last time you tried to help me, you got spotted by a pair of my officers, who began to talk about seeing a 'white Dark.' Tell me, how is this helpful?_

Krad's eyes narrowed. _At least I had Dark within my grasp. You have never managed to make it that far. _

_That's because I have a slightly more realistic view than yours,_ Satoshi said coolly. _Maybe killing anyone who got in your way was acceptable centuries ago, but unexplained deaths today lead to many uncomfortable questions. _

Krad shrugged. _Perhaps. However,_ his voice lowered, _I know exactly what your problem is._

Satoshi's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned indifference. _And what is that?_ he said casually, making an addition to his notes.

_The Niwa,_ Krad spat.

His hand jerked, leaving a long black mark on the page. _What?_

_I've seen the way you look at him,_ Krad hissed. _I know how often he occupies your thoughts._

_That is ridiculous._

_I live inside of you. You can not hide something like this from me,_ Krad told him spitefully. _Something has to be done about him before he ruins you. _

_Leave him out of this,_ Satoshi snapped, getting to his feet and gathering his materials.

The curse shook his head. _Listen to yourself, Satoshi-sama. When I first came to you, you were cold. Hard. Emotionless. And now you are not. You are beginning to thaw, to fall apart. He is an infection which must be removed from you. _A sudden pain flared in Satoshi's mind, and he couldn't stop the gasp from escaping his lips. _And you are letting yourself be poisoned,_ Krad said softly, dangerously. _I will not allow it._

_You don't control me,_ Satoshi retorted, picking up his bag of books.

_Ohhh, Satoshi-sama, you have no idea_, Krad said with pleased self-satisfaction.

_Leave me alone! _Satoshi ordered as he strode out of the library. The teen was so lost in pushing his curse away that he didn't see the person in his path until it was too late.

He ran into the tall, dark-haired man with a thump. "I'm sorry," Satoshi began, and then the man turned around and the words stuck in the teen's throat.

"Hello, Hikari-san," Niwa Kosuke said softly. "I was just thinking about you."

"Niwa-san," Satoshi replied in vague surprise, then regained control. "I apologize for having run into you," he said coolly.

The man waved his small spiral-bound notebook cheerfully. "No problem. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

The commanded blinked at him. "That's not necessary, but thank you. Good day, Niwa-san." He hitched his heavy bag higher on his shoulder as he started towards the door. For a moment, the strap cut into the still-raw slash on his upper back. A flash of pain crossed his face as the world spun slightly. Satoshi recovered quickly, but apparently not quickly enough.

"I think you need to sit down," the Niwa said firmly, taking the school bag from Satoshi and swinging it over his own shoulder. The man strode out the door and towards the coffee shop a few doors down.

Satoshi had no choice but to follow the man into the shop.

Kosuke placed his notebook on a table in the corner and dropped Satoshi's bag next to it. "Sit here. I'll be right back," he said, and headed towards the counter.

The teen sat down, carefully avoiding any contact between his shoulders and the hard wooden back of the chair. Satoshi stared dully at the table, trying to ignore the throbbing in his back and the mutterings in his head. He blinked when a steaming mug was pushed under his nose.

Niwa Kosuke slid into the seat across from him. Satoshi did not bother to touch the coffee, but rather just stared. The man in front of him was quite possibly the strangest and most mysterious of his clan. And considering the natural oddness of the Niwa, that was saying something.

Kosuke smiled slightly. "I didn't poison your coffee, Hikari-san, but we can switch if that would make you feel better."

"Why are you being nice to me?" Satoshi said in confusion.

Kosuke raised his mug to his lips and calmly took a drink. "Why shouldn't I be?"

The teen shook his head. "You don't know anything about me other than the fact that I'm trying to seal your son's alter-ego."

The scholar's smile was enigmatic and entirely impossible for Satoshi to interpret. "You should drink your coffee before it gets cold."

Satoshi's eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. "Tell me. Your wife and the elder Niwa don't care about me. Why are you different?"

The man sighed. Placing his coffee down, he also leaned forward. He regarded Satoshi for a long moment before he finally answered. "I married into the Niwa family and took their name. I myself am not a Niwa. And when I look at you, Hikari-san, I don't see a hereditary enemy. All I see is a child in pain." Kosuke's face grew somewhat distant. "I would do the same for any such child, Hikari-san, not just you."

Satoshi was unsure if he was supposed to be privy to the emotions so clearly written on the Niwa's face, and he glanced away. When he looked back, the man was smiling again.

Kosuke drained his coffee and stood. "Anyway, I'm glad you and Daisuke are friends." He smiled wryly. "I'm sure you two are good for each other. Good day, Hikari-san."

And with that, Niwa Kosuke scooped up his notes and left.

Satoshi sat there for a moment, frozen.

Did Niwa-san know about…?

He cut off the thought before it turned into something incriminating that would anger Krad further. He had to concentrate, decide what he was going to do about the axe research.

The commander mechanically picked up his coffee and sipped at it.

It was cold.

Satoshi set it down, picked up his bag, and walked out the door.


	49. Chapter 13: December 13

**Chapter 13: December 13**

Daisuke shivered slightly underneath his jacket. The wind was cooler today, and it definitely felt like early winter now.

_Oh, you're such a wimp_, Dark said dismissively. _Did I ever tell you about the heists I had to pull in the old days? I had to steal a tiny little silver statue in a blinding snowstorm!_

Daisuke rolled his eyes. _Yeah, right. I'm sure you also had to walk the twenty miles to the place, not fly. And it was uphill both ways, right?_

Dark sniffed, clearly offended.

The redhead smiled slightly. It was not often that he managed to strike Dark speechless, so he figured he might as well enjoy it while he could.

"Niwa," came a soft voice behind him.

He turned. "Hiwatari-kun!" The commander was standing behind him. He'd clearly been waiting for Daisuke outside the school. Daisuke frowned in concern. Satoshi was paler than usual, and had dark smudges under his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Satoshi blinked at him behind his glasses. "I'm fine. Why?"

"You just look…I don't know," Daisuke hedged.

_Come on, Daisuke. Tell him he looks like shit. I dare you._

"You look really tired, that's all," Daisuke finished softly.

_Wimp._

The pale-haired teen gave him a brief smile. "I didn't get much sleep."

"You should have waited for me inside, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke reprimanded. "You could get sick, standing out here in the cold."

"It's not that bad," Satoshi shrugged. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you before school starts, and it's more private out here than in the classroom."

Daisuke frowned. "What's up?"

The commander took a deep breath. "Niwa, I need you to do me two favors. They're very important, otherwise I wouldn't ask."

Daisuke smiled brightly at his friend. "Sure, Hiwatari-kun. What are they?"

Satoshi gazed seriously at him. "The first is not to ask any questions."

Unsure he'd heard that correctly, Daisuke blinked at his friend. Satoshi gazed back at him with a look of utter solemnity that convinced him of the gravity of the situation. "Okay," Daisuke answered, just as seriously.

"The second," Satoshi took a deep breath, "Is to help me research the Taro axe, the Edge of Sorrows."

"The axe?" Daisuke began, confused, but then he saw the look Satoshi was giving him. "Okay," the redhead said simply. "No questions."

To his surprise, he saw Satoshi actually give a small sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Daisuke shrugged. "When do you want me to start?"

"As soon as possible."

"Okay," Daisuke said again. "After school?"

Satoshi nodded.

Daisuke smiled slightly. "Okay. Now we should really get to class, or we're gonna be late."

XXXXX

Daisuke waited at their usual table in the library.

_I hope you realize how crazy this is,_ Dark stated. _A Hikari asking a Niwa for help is unprecedented._

The redhead frowned. _You never said anything like this when Satoshi and I researched together before._

_Well, yeah_, the thief said simply. _It was different then. __**You**__ asked for __**his**__ help._

The frown deepened. _And it's less unprecedented for a Niwa to ask a Hikari for help?_

_Oh no,_ Dark assured him. _It was unprecedented then, too._

_Then why didn't you make a big deal about it before?_ Daisuke asked, confused.

_Because I knew you were crazy. Of course I expect you to do crazy things._

Despite himself, Daisuke had to smile at that. _Thanks, Dark._

_Anytime,_ the thief said pleasantly. _Heads up!_

Daisuke looked up to see Satoshi come through the door and head toward him.

The pale-haired teen set his bag down on the wooden table. It made a rather loud thunk.

"How many books did you bring, Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke asked incredulously.

Satoshi gave him a dispassionate look and, opening the bag, pulled out a small stack of thick, ancient hardbound books. "As many as I could," he answered finally.

"How many are there altogether?" Daisuke asked, taking the first book off the top.

If anything, Satoshi looked even more tired. "About a hundred or so."

Daisuke looked at the four very thick books Satoshi had brought and sighed. "This is going to take a while, Hiwatari-kun."

"You have a gift for understatement, Niwa," the commander muttered as he picked up a book of his own and started reading.

The book in Daisuke's hands was entitled "Weapons as Art: An Essay," and was undoubtedly the longest essay Daisuke had ever read. Halfway through a section on the pros and cons of engraving blades, the redhead finally gave in to his bewilderment. "You know, Hiwatari-kun," he began softly and as inoffensively as he could manage, "it would help if I knew what you were looking for."

"Anything," Satoshi said tersely, not even looking up from his intent perusal of the pages in front of him.

Chastened, Daisuke turned back to his own book.

_That was rude of him, Daisuke. You should have called him on it,_ Dark said disapprovingly. _You're doing him a favor, and he doesn't have any right to treat you like that._

Daisuke gave a slight self-deprecating smile. _I did promise not to ask any questions. Besides,_ he added more seriously, _I'm more worried about him. He's not acting like himself._

Dark blinked. _He's acting cold and emotionless and entirely unapproachable—how is this any different from usual?_

Daisuke just sighed and went back to his book. He had to admit, some of the premises and ideas raised in the book were intriguing. It was a shame that he couldn't tell his dad. Satoshi had never actually said not to share the information he learned from these 'forbidden' books, but he'd never actually given Daisuke permission, either.

And at this point, Daisuke was going to err on the side of caution. He began to jot down notes on the ideas he thought Satoshi might find interesting. As the hours passed, the notes grew more detailed as Daisuke lost himself in the book.

A touch on his hand startled him from his reverie. "Niwa?"

Daisuke started, and Satoshi drew back to his side of the table. The older teen looked at him, brow furrowed slightly in concern. "It's almost 6:30, Niwa. You should probably go home."

The redhead smiled slightly. "You're probably right." He gathered his notes into a neat stack and, without ceremony, handed them to Satoshi. "I hope there's something helpful in here," he said simply, and got up, grabbing his bag as he turned toward the door.

"Niwa," a soft voice said from behind him. Daisuke turned back to see Satoshi looking at him seriously. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier," the commander said softly. "I just want you to know that I really appreciate your help."

Daisuke grinned widely. "No problem."

Satoshi gave him a slight, somewhat weak smile and slid his books into his bag. Daisuke waited for him, and the two walked out of the library together.

The redhead paused before heading towards home. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hiwatari-kun."

"Have a good night, Niwa," Satoshi said softly before turning away.

Daisuke waved at his friend until he couldn't see him anymore. He let his arm fall back to his side and began the walk home.

_I still can't get over the fact that he actually unbent enough to ask __**you**__ for help. And then he __**thanked**__ you for it,_ Dark mused incredulously.

_Why do you think Satoshi asked for my help? _Daisuke asked softly.

Dark was silent for a long moment. _I thought about this a lot while you were reading, and I think it's one of two things,_ he said seriously.

_What?_

_It is either an act of trust or an act of utter desperation. _

Daisuke frowned, but couldn't think of the words to argue. Instead, he ducked his head against the chill wind and the two finished the rest of the walk home in silence.


	50. Chapter 14: December 14

**Chapter 14: December 14**

The phone rang just as Satoshi was walking out his door. Sighing, he went back inside and picked it up. "Hiwatari."

"Satoshi!" came the much-too-cheerful voice of his father. "Good morning!"

The boy frowned. "Father. I need to go or I'll be late for school."

"Can't a father wish his son a happy birthday?" Hiwatari Kei said in a slightly reproachful voice. "We should go out, spend some time together. You know, celebrate a little."

Satoshi tensed. "I have research—"

"It can wait, can't it?" his father interrupted. "I'll pick you up at six." He hung up. The teen stared at the receiver for a moment before returning it to its cradle a little harder than absolutely necessary.

_Why the anger, Satoshi-sama?_ Krad asked curiously. _That man usually does not warrant this kind of reaction._

Satoshi did not respond as he headed out the door.

_One would almost think that you resent the day of your birth,_ Krad continued.

_And what would give you that impression?_ Satoshi replied, a bite in his voice.

_There is no call to be rude, Satoshi-sama. _

Satoshi pushed open the door to the apartment building and stopped. There was a redhead standing a meter away, staring up intently at the sky.

"Niwa?"

Sure, enough, Daisuke turned around and smiled brightly. "Good morning, Hiwatari-kun. Did you see the flock of birds? I wonder what they're doing here so late in the year."

"What are **you** doing here?"

Daisuke gave him another grin. "I woke up early, for once, so I decided to come and keep you company on the way to school," he said cheerfully. Then he looked, really looked, at Satoshi and frowned. "Are—are you okay?"

Surprised, Satoshi glanced sideways at him. "I'm fine. Why?"

"You look…angry," the redhead offered hesitantly.

The older boy shook his head. "I'm not."

"Okay," Daisuke said dubiously. "Well, I was thinking about our research last night, and I had an idea."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go on."

"Instead of looking for material about the axe, why don't we also look for just basic biographical information on Hikari Taro as well? This way maybe we can find a hint about who he was, the way he thought, and maybe **that** would help us figure out what he made the axe for." He looked at Satoshi, expectant and hopeful. "So what do you think?"

Satoshi considered it and nodded once. "That is a good idea," he said slowly. "I've read most the Taro biographies before, but that was years ago. Maybe I missed something."

"Cool!" Daisuke enthused. "I'll start looking tonight."

Satoshi's cautious excitement fizzled. "Sorry, Niwa, but we can't do any research tonight."

Daisuke looked crestfallen. "Oh. Why not?"

"Something's come up with my father," Satoshi said neutrally.

"Really? What?" Daisuke asked, confused. Satoshi blinked at him, and the redhead flushed. "Sorry, I know it's none of my business, it's just that…well, the two of you don't really seem to do many 'father-son' activities."

Satoshi sighed. "We usually do not, but today is my birthday and he appears determined to do something about it."

"I didn't know it was your birthday!" Daisuke exclaimed, eyes wide. "You should have told me; I would have gotten you a present."

Surprised, Satoshi stared blankly at the redhead. "That's not necessary, Niwa. It's truly not that important."

"Birthdays are always important!" Daisuke insisted. "It's a celebration of you."

Satoshi gave him an incredulous glance. "I do not need or want to be celebrated."

Daisuke looked like he was going to protest, but he apparently noticed Satoshi's lack of patience for the topic and backed down. They proceeded on their way, Daisuke starting up his usual steady stream of chatter about classes, Dark, and everything else.

But when Satoshi glanced at him, he noticed an odd glint in the redhead's eyes. .

XXXXX

"Satoshi!" His father caught him a hug before he could avoid it. "You're looking so well!"

"Thank you," Satoshi said quietly, disentangling himself subtly. "This isn't really necessary, Father."

"Nonsense!" Hiwatari chided. "This is a day to celebrate! You deserve a nice dinner. Come, I've made reservations at that delicious French restaurant on the other side of town."

He gestured toward the car, and Satoshi reluctantly went over and settled into a seat. They rode to the restaurant in silence. However, as soon as they stepped out of the confines of the car, Hiwatari draped an arm around Satoshi's shoulders. "We're going to have a wonderful time," he declared.

Satoshi didn't say anything.

Their table was small and secluded, tucked away in one corner of the restaurant. Hiwatari waved Satoshi to take the seat that was closest to the wall. Satoshi did so, noting even as he sat that he had no effective escape routes. He was trapped until his father decided to let him go.

"Now, this is your birthday, so order whatever you want," Hiwatari said with a wave of his hand. "I think I shall get the duck special," he said to the waiter. "With the rice and a salad."

Both he and the waiter looked at Satoshi expectantly, and the teen took a deep breath. "The house salad, please."

The waiter nodded and scribbled it down, but Hiwatari frowned. "That certainly can't be all, Satoshi?"

"I'm not really hungry, Father."

Hiwatari shook his head and looked back at the waiter. "He'll take the sirloin dinner, as well."

Calmly, the waiter wrote it down. He had clearly dealt with this kind of situation before. "Anything else for you gentlemen?"

"No, I believe that's all," Hiwatari said dismissively.

The waiter disappeared, and Hiwatari turned back to Satoshi. "Now then, how are things going for you, Satoshi?"

"Everything is progressing well, Father," Satoshi replied neutrally.

"Surely I can get a little more input than that, Satoshi!" his father said. "Why don't you tell me about work?"

"There is little to tell that you haven't read in the reports, I'm sure," Satoshi told him. It was going to be a long night.

"Of course. But, you see, Hashimoto's report on the last heist, the one in that mansion, was a little more detailed than yours." Hiwatari smiled slightly. "Why is that?"

A surge of irritation made Satoshi frown. "Hashimoto was not part of the defense, as I was. He was simply watching."

"Ah, I see." Hiwatari leaned back in his chair. "I guess he's not very helpful, hmm?"

"We've discussed this before, Father," Satoshi said pointedly. "Hashimoto has an abundance of experience with human thieves, but he is incapable of understanding Dark."

"And you, of course, are capable of such a thing, yes?" Hiwatari asked.

Satoshi's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

Hiwatari smiled widely as the waiter arrived with their salads. "Well, Satoshi, I have faith in you. If you are certain that you would do better, I will make sure you are in charge for the next heist."

"Thank you."

They said nothing for the next few minutes as they ate. Sooner than Satoshi would have wished, however, Hiwatari smiled again. "And how goes the other half of your work?"

Satoshi didn't quite know what he meant. And that worried him. Slowly, the teen laid his fork down. "What do you mean, Father?"

"I was wondering about the Niwa."

"I have a new strategy in mind for one of the next encounters with Dark," Satoshi said calmly. "Hopefully, it will hold him in place long enough for others to come and assist."

The smile hardened slightly. "That's all very nice, Satoshi, but I was talking about the Niwa."

"What about Niwa?"

"Have you stopped this unseemly association with him?" Hiwatari asked.

Satoshi gave him a blank stare. "Father, I really don't see how that's your concern."

Hiwatari sighed. "That means you haven't. Really, Satoshi, why do you persist in seeing him?"

Satoshi tensed. He was sick and tired of having Hiwatari grill him about Daisuke at every opportunity. It was time he gave the man **something** so that he would back off. "I am distracting him so he does not get in my way."

Hiwatari raised an eyebrow. "Distracting him how?" he asked pryingly.

"Niwa is a curious person," Satoshi told him, vaguely irritated. "All one has to do is set a mystery in front of him, and he will pursue it to the exclusion of all else."

"And what mystery have you given him to chase?"

"The Second Hand of Time," Satoshi lied smoothly.

Hiwatari sat up straighter. "Why would he be interested in the Second Hand of Time?"

"It did kidnap him, Father," Satoshi reminded the man. "He's interested in knowing who unsealed it—and why."

Hiwatari went very still. "And…?"

"Luckily, he came to me for help, so I have managed to point him in a thousand different directions. Any direction but the one that leads to you," Satoshi said a little disdainfully.

Hiwatari bristled slightly, but he still managed a wide smile. "Why, Satoshi, I didn't know you cared."

"It would lead to uncomfortable questions," Satoshi replied.

Any pretense at humor vanished from the smile.

The tense silence was broken when the waiter came up with their meals. By this point, Satoshi was no longer remotely interested in eating with his father, so he just let the plate sit untouched.

"Why aren't you eating, Satoshi?" Hiwatari asked pleasantly as he deftly carved his duck.

"I'm not hungry. Father."

"Satoshi, I am merely concerned," Hiwatari said softly as he ate. "Spending time with someone can lead to empathy. I've seen it happen before, between prisoners and prison officers. After a while, you start to feel sorry for the inmates." He set his silverware down and stared seriously at the teen. "Once you begin to think of them as human instead of criminal, they are no longer your prey. And you can no longer do your job effectively."

A frown came to Satoshi's face. "Are you implying something?"

Hiwatari said nothing; instead, he turned away to signal the waiter for the check.

Angered, Satoshi did not trust himself to keep his temper, so he simply remained silent throughout the ride home. When they arrived at his apartment building, he had regained his calm. As he got out of the car, he turned to look back at his father.

"I do not need or want your concern," he said coldly. "I know what I'm doing."

He shut the door to the car and walked into his building without looking back.

Hiwatari didn't follow him.

Satoshi climbed the stairs to his apartment. He was tired and still slightly angry about Hiwatari's insinuations. They had been subtle, just subtle enough that Satoshi was unsure if Hiwatari had heard about their so-called 'relationship.'

However, if Hiwatari knew, he would not have been subtle. He would have wanted, **demanded**, an explanation. Perhaps. Satoshi wasn't sure he knew what Hiwatari would do anymore.

He unlocked his door, walked into the apartment, and stepped on something.

Puzzled, Satoshi flicked the light on and backed up to see what he had stepped on. It was a white envelope that had been shoved under the door.

He picked it up, noting that his name was written on the front in red. He opened it to reveal a folded piece of lined notebook paper. Satoshi frowned slightly and carefully unfolded it.

It was a small, half-page sketch of him, Satoshi, reading a book, apparently lost in thought. The background was vague, but reminiscent of the library.

At the bottom of the page was a scribbled line. "You said you wondered why I kept staring at you. Anyway, happy birthday! Niwa Daisuke."

Touched, Satoshi studied the sketch with an artist's eye. There were a few minor flaws in technique, but Daisuke's drawing was actually surprisingly good.

He carefully folded the paper and tucked back into its envelope. He stepped over to the desk and set it next to his printer, where it wouldn't get lost. 


	51. Chapter 15: December 15

**Chapter 15: December 15**

Daisuke sighed into his sandwich.

"What's wrong, Niwa?" Satoshi looked up from his book.

"I wish it wasn't raining," the redhead said softly. "I hate eating inside." He glanced around. He and Satoshi sat in one of the back corners of the room, but the other students continued to mill around and talk excitedly about what they wanted for Christmas. The noise level was getting quite loud.

And he'd caught three girls grinning at him and Satoshi so far; and there was still fifteen minutes left in the lunch period.

And to top it all off, Saehara was heading towards them with a large grin on his face. "Daisuke!" The teen reporter shoved an envelope into his friend's hand. "This is yours."

Daisuke blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been talking to Aimi-chan," Saehara began earnestly, "And she feels so strongly about people doing good things that I decided you had to have these."

Saehara's explanation cleared up absolutely nothing. "Hashimoto-san told you to give these to me?" Daisuke asked, confused.

"No, stupid!" Saehara rolled his eyes and sat in the empty desk nest to Daisuke. "You see, Aimi-chan and I were talking. I was…well, I was trying to get her to sneak me into the site of the heist tonight so I could get some exclusive pictures. She told me no, and then she started on this glorious, uplifting speech about how breaking the law didn't help anyone, no matter your intentions, and how she hoped someday she would live in a world where crime didn't exist." Saehara sighed dramatically. "Isn't she wonderful?"

_Actually,_ Dark interrupted. _She's either extremely optimistic or she just wanted to see how much Saehara would swallow._

"Don't you agree, Daisuke?" Saehara asked cheerfully.

Daisuke started, unsure if he would agree with Saehara or Dark. "I—I don't know."

"Well, what about you, Hiwatari?" Saehara turned to face the reading teen. "What do you think about breaking the law?"

"Laws are in place for a reason," Satoshi said without looking up from his book.

"But…what if your reason for breaking the laws overrides the reason the law exists?" Daisuke said slowly. "I mean, what if the only way to do something **good** is to commit a crime?"

"Find another way," Satoshi answered, looking up from his book to give Daisuke a searching glance.

"And if there is no other way?" Daisuke pressed. "If the only way you can save someone is by, I don't know, **stealing** something, does that act deserves to be punished?"

"The perpetrator must be punished, because to not do so would only imply to others that stealing was no longer a crime." Satoshi shut the book and gave Daisuke his full attention. "No matter the reason for the crime, it must not go unpunished."

"And if…and if the reason is unmentionable, something the world would be better off not knowing?" Daisuke hesitated before continuing. "What if it's better to let the crime go unpunished than to let the reason be known to the public?"

"That's not going to happen often, Niwa," Satoshi said softly.

"But it can," Daisuke stated. "There are exceptions to every rule."

Satoshi studied him carefully and sighed. "That's true, Niwa, but you don't get to write them."

Saehara, whose gaze had been flicking back and forth between them as they argued, finally waved his hand in between the other two boys. "What are you two talking about?" he asked irritably. "Did I miss something?"

Satoshi glanced away, leaving Daisuke to answer. "No, Saehara," he sighed. "We were just talking rhetorically."

The reported didn't look convinced, but nodded. "Whatever. Anyway," he said brightly, standing up. "I'm gonna talk to Nishimura before class starts. See ya later!" With that he bounced away.

Daisuke glanced back at Satoshi, who had returned to his book, a slight frown on his face.

_So what's in the envelope?_ Dark asked inquisitively.

The redhead looked down. The envelope that Saehara had given him was lying forgotten in his lap. Curious, he picked it up and opened it.

Inside was another set of pictures of him in Satoshi's lap.

_How sweet,_ Dark said dryly.

Daisuke's gaze shot up, glancing furiously around the room for his so-called friend.

"I take it he didn't in fact give us all the copies the first time, then?" Satoshi said with alarming mildness.

"I guess not," Daisuke said, scowling. He spotted Saehara.

The reporter noticed the angry look on his friend's face and winced noticeably before coming over.

"What is this?" Daisuke asked hotly, waving the envelope.

Saehara shrugged. "Copies."

Daisuke's eyes narrowed. "Why did you have them?"

"I kept a couple, just in case I didn't get a good picture in time for that photo contest," Saehara said casually. "But I got a nice shot of Nishimura falling out of a tree, so I entered that instead."

"So why are you giving them back now?" Satoshi inquired icily, shutting his book with a snap.

The reporter looked at the pale-haired teen warily. "Aimi-chan likes it when people do good things, so I decided to go ahead and give you all the copies. Besides, if she ever found out I'd blackmailed you, she'd be really angry."

_That's a good enough reason to tell her about it,_ Dark said cheerfully.

Daisuke scowled and tapped the envelope against his leg. "Is this all of them now?" he asked pointedly.

"Oh, yeah," Saehara said brightly.

The bell rang suddenly, and the classroom erupted into activity as students headed back to their desks. Saehara headed back to his desk almost eagerly, leaving Daisuke and Satoshi in the corner alone.

Daisuke sighed. "Do you really think that's all of them?"

Satoshi shrugged. "Who knows?"

Shaking his head, the redhead stood up. "I'll see you after school, Hiwatari-kun."

"We can't research long," Satoshi warned him. "There's that heist tonight, remember?"

"Yeah." Daisuke grinned slightly as he stood up. "After school, then?"

Satoshi nodded, a slight smile hinted at in his eyes. "Maybe we should come up with a plan to retrieve the rest of those pictures. After all," he said dryly, "no crime should go unpunished."

"In this case, I'd have to agree," Daisuke smiled wider and headed to his desk up front.

XXXXX

As Dark soared through the sky, heading home, Daisuke stared at the beautiful carved hourglass that the thief had tucked under one arm. Now that the thrill of the heist had passed, he was contemplating what Satoshi had said earlier.

_Dark? I was wondering…_

_Hmm?_ he replied absent-mindedly.

_What Hiwatari-kun said this morning, about stealing. Do you ever get upset over the fact that we're doing something illegal?_

Dark chuckled slightly. _It's only illegal if you get caught, Daisuke. And it's only criminal if you get convicted. _

_Come on, Dark, I'm serious. _

_I know._ The thief sobered. _Honestly, Daisuke, I don't think about it. The Niwa have always been thieves, since before I was around. And being a phantom thief is all I am—literally. _

Daisuke sighed. _I know that. But—it never bugs you?_

_No,_ Dark replied flatly. _You see, I consider what we do—stealing Hikari artwork—as a sort of family responsibility that's gotten a little too public. _

_What do you mean? _

_We take the art for a reason, to keep it safe. It's not really for fun. However, you can only take so much art before people who have no idea about the curses decide that you're a threat and they need to catch you. _

While Daisuke accepted that, something else was still nagging him. _But we've taken stuff that wasn't Hikari. _

_Maybe so, but everything we've taken still could have eaten someone if it really wanted to,_ Dark said with a smirk. _We're trying to keep people from being hurt by powerful artworks. Consider it your civic duty._

_You're joking, right?_ Daisuke asked doubtfully. _I don't think claiming that it was my civic duty to steal things would go over well with __**anyone**_

_Maybe…_Dark considered this. _But it's true, to some degree. _

Daisuke sighed. _Yeah, I guess. _

_Any other questions for your ever-so-wise alter-ego?_

_One more,_ Daisuke responded with a smile. _Do you…ever wish it was different?_

Dark was quiet for a long minute. _Yes,_ he said finally, his voice low. _Once. _

_When?_

_The day I left Rika._

_Oh. _Daisuke coughed nervously, uncomfortable and a little annoyed at himself for bringing the memory up.

A large, slightly forced smile came to Dark's face. _But hey, if it was different, you never would have met me! And then your life would have been __**really**__ boring!_

Seizing upon the change in tone, Daisuke laughed. _You do have a point. _

_You betcha. Come on, we're almost home. Time to go show off to Emiko. _

Dark landed on Daisuke's little balcony, changing back into the redhead smoothly as he did so. As Daisuke climbed inside his room, the phantom thief spoke up once more. _Don't let it bug you, Daisuke. We're all just doing what we have to. _

Daisuke nodded. _Yeah, I know._


	52. Chapter 16: December 17

ASN: I realize that this chapter's really short, but I promise that Thursday's chapter will be nice and long.

AN: Emphasis on the 'nice' part.

**Chapter 16: December 17**

With a sigh, Daisuke shut his book and dropped his pencil on top of his scribbled notes.

Satoshi looked up from the last pages of his own book. "Find anything?"

Daisuke sighed, and noted with concern that Satoshi looked tired. He knew better than to say anything, though. "No, nothing really helpful in this one either. Want to hand me the next one?"

The commander was quiet for a moment. "I didn't bring anymore. I thought it would take us longer to go through the four that I brought."

"Oh," Daisuke said, slumping back against his chair. "Should you go get a few more?" he asked hesitantly.

Satoshi looked at his watch. "When do you have to be home?"

Daisuke glanced at his own watch. "About an hour," he said with guilty realization.

"That's not enough time to go get the books, come back, and get anything done," Satoshi said with a sigh.

"Oh." Daisuke poked at his notes uncomfortably and unobtrusively watched Satoshi. The commander was frowning, regarding his book with a look of intense distance that told Daisuke he was thinking about something other than the book's words.

And whatever it was that he was thinking of, he wasn't pleased with it.

"This is inefficient," Satoshi said in a disapproving murmur, furrowing his brow and finally shutting the book.

Daisuke flushed slightly. "Sorry, Hiwatari-kun…"

"Oh, not you, Niwa," the commander said quickly, giving the redhead a brief reassuring gaze. "Just the current research arrangement."

"Oh," Daisuke said, relieved. He pondered the problem. "Well, maybe…maybe if you brought some of the books with you to school," he offered hesitantly. "Then you wouldn't have to go all the way back home to get them."

Satoshi considered this, then shook his head. "No, that wouldn't help in times like this, when we finish early. No, there's only one sure way to do this."

"What?"

Satoshi gave him a sober look. "It only makes sense that we study where the books are."

"What?" Daisuke blinked. "But…that's your apartment…" he trailed off.

"I know," Satoshi said, looking at the Niwa seriously. "Would you mind coming and researching there?"

Daisuke stared at him for a moment, and then smiled wide. "Thank you, Hiwatari-kun," he said softly.

The commander gave him a small half-smile. "Thanks for helping."

"Not a problem," the redhead said brightly. "Do you want me to help tomorrow? It's Sunday. Are you going to be busy?"

Satoshi shook his head. "I just need a couple hours to prepare for the heist tomorrow night. Can you meet me at the fountain park around noon?"

"Sounds good," Daisuke agreed, helping Satoshi pack up his books, and following him out the door. As Satoshi turned towards his apartment, Daisuke waved cheerfully. The commander actually waved back, although only for a second, then walked down the street.

Daisuke turned towards his own home. As he walked and considered what had just happened, his smile faded.

_What's up, Daisuke? I would've thought you'd be thrilled that the Honorable Commander trusts you to come to his place again. _

_I am,_ Daisuke said softly. _I'm just kinda worried about Hiwatari-kun._

_Why? _the thief asked curiously.

He sighed. _You remember how you said that Hiwatari-kun was either very trusting or very desperate?_

All of Dark's customary flippantness had evaporated. _Yeah, I remember._

_I'm thinking he's both. And that really concerns me._

Dark was silent for a long moment. _Yeah,_ he said finally. _Me too._


	53. Chapter 17: December 18

**Chapter 17: December 18**

Daisuke approached the fountain a few minutes before noon to find Satoshi already waiting there, a small bag of groceries beside him.

_He buys groceries? _Dark asked incredulously. _The surprises one finds out._

Daisuke sighed. _Come on, Dark, you know he eats. We eat lunch together._

_That surprised me too_, Dark said dryly. _I always thought that the Hikari lived on a steady diet of air and revenge._

"Ready to go?" Daisuke asked brightly, ignoring the thief.

The commander looked up at him calmly. "If you are."

And the relaxed attitude Daisuke had wanted to establish died before it ever really existed. The two boys walked out of the park and headed down the road toward Satoshi's apartment in silence.

A silence that Daisuke was rapidly finding stifling.

_Who cares? Don't say anything if you don't have anything to say,_ Dark suggested.

_Well, yeah,_ Daisuke began, _But I almost always have something to say. Except I don't have anything to say, and that's kinda weird, and I don't want Satoshi to notice cause I don't want him to think anything is wrong, even though something is wrong cause I feel kinda uncomfortable about going back to his apartment, but I don't want to tell him I'm uncomfortable, cause then he'll feel bad, and so I can't think of anything to say!_ Daisuke finished in a rush.

_Daisuke…_ Dark sighed.

_What?_

_He just asked you a question._

"What?" Daisuke asked, head swiveling to Satoshi.

The commander was looking at him with a carefully blank expression, but Daisuke thought he saw a slight smirk. "I **asked** if you'd found anything interesting in the biographies yet."

"Oh," the redhead said sheepishly, ruffling his hair. "Well, not really. But I think that Hikari Taro and Niwa Yuudai, the Niwa who interrupted the Black Wings ceremony, loved the same girl."

Satoshi's brow furrowed. "I don't remember reading that anywhere. What makes you think that, Niwa?"

"It was scribbled in a margin," Daisuke explained as he opened the door of the apartment building for Satoshi. "The book was talking about how Taro created the Black Wings for his betrothed, and the note said that if it weren't for the competition between Taro and Yuudai, none of this would have happened."

"That may explain why the appearance of the curses may be linked to strong emotion," Satoshi allowed thoughtfully. He shook his head. "My ancestors apparently didn't think that the emotional relationships between the first Hikari and Niwa were relevant."

Daisuke, however, was still puzzling over the first comment. "You mean your curse is triggered by emotion too?"

Satoshi's face abruptly grew closed and distant.

_Oops,_ Daisuke winced. _I think I crossed a line._

_Crossed it? You __**tapdanced**__ over it,_ Dark crowed.

Satoshi paused and unlocked the door to his apartment, walking in. Daisuke followed, feeling uncomfortable. He looked around at his friend's living room.

Nothing had changed. It had been over a month since Daisuke had last been there, but the apartment was exactly the same. The same empty walls, the same nearly-empty room, untouched by any color or holiday decoration.

The apartment was cold, but that wasn't the only reason Daisuke shivered and rubbed his arms.

"Are you okay, Niwa?" Satoshi looked at him with some concern.

"Oh, yeah!" Daisuke said brightly, dropping his arms back to his side. "Just fine."

Satoshi eyed him for a second, then sighed. "Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, it's okay, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke reassured him earnestly. "I mean, I don't want you to go to any trouble. It's not that cold or anything."

"Niwa, I'm going to get some tea. Do you want some as well?" Satoshi asked calmly.

"Oh," Daisuke said gratefully, recognizing the peace offering for what it was. "Yes, then. Please."

As Satoshi moved into the kitchen, Daisuke dropped his bag next to the couch and wandered around the room. As he passed the desk, a tiny flash of color caught his eye. He stopped. The envelope that he had given Hiwatari his sketch in had been carefully placed under a paperweight.

A smile slowly bloomed on the redhead's face, and he sat down on the couch.

XXXXX

Satoshi pulled the tea bags from the two mugs and dropped them in the trash. He picked up the two steaming mugs and carried them out into the living room.

Daisuke was sitting on the couch, and he smiled as he reached for the tea. "Thank you, Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi nodded as he sipped his own tea. For some reason, he felt unaccountably nervous having Daisuke here again, and that uncomfortable feeling kept him quiet. The silence grew as the two boys continued to sip their tea, and he felt the redhead's eyes on him.

"I was thinking," Daisuke began slowly. "Maybe we should research out here."

Satoshi blinked. "Why?"

"Well," Daisuke looked down and fiddled with a loose thread on the cushion. "I think both of us would be more comfortable if I wasn't in the archives."

Satoshi stared at him silently, touched by the Niwa's thoughtfulness.

"Besides, this couch is much more comfy than that rock-hard chair," Daisuke said with a sudden bright grin.

Satoshi had to smile at that, but he grew serious quickly. "If you're sure," he said quietly. "You don't have to."

Daisuke smiled at him. "I'm sure." And he made himself comfortable, curling up against the arm of the couch. "We should probably get started," he said cheerfully. "We don't have much time before we have to get ready for the heist tonight."

"You're right, of course," Satoshi said with a perfectly straight face, though a glint of humor shone in his eyes.

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "You know, it makes me really nervous when you say that."

And Satoshi went to go get the books.

XXXXX

Satoshi smiled slightly in satisfaction as he reached the locked art restoration room that was his post for the night's heist. He had finally regained control of the operation to catch Dark, and the annoying Hashimoto was outside with Inspector Saehara, probably fuming. Satoshi didn't care. He had more important things to be concerned about right now.

Tonight was the night when he was going to try his new strategy. He had come to the conclusion over the past few weeks that the problem with the previous heists was that although Satoshi had managed to get his hands on Dark several times, the thief always managed to escape before reinforcements could be summoned.

And so, the only solution was to slow him down.

Satoshi closed and relocked the door behind him and flicked on the lights. The target tonight was a small pendant. When he had learned that it had been damaged in transit, he had winced, but since none of the employees reported strange visions or episodes of sleepwalking, Satoshi assumed that the damage was surface only. In any case, since it had to be repaired before display, the artwork was currently residing in a tiny, windowless room with only one door.

Perfect.

Satoshi leaned against the wall, after carefully placing the pendant on the nearby counter, and waited.

Sure enough, just as his clock marked 10 pm, the lights went out.

Having anticipated this, Satoshi had set up a large battery-powered light earlier. He now turned it on, flooding the room with light almost as bright as the overhead fluorescents. Hearing a faint scrape, Satoshi turned to face the door again, casually shoving his hands in his pockets.

Dark was standing there, one hand shielding from the bright glare. "I see you were expecting me," he said dryly, dropping his hand.

Satoshi shrugged. "You are fairly predictable."

The thief's eyes narrowed. "So are you."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

Dark gestured to the pendant lying on the table. "That's a fake."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. Unseen by Dark, he tapped a small button with his foot to summon reinforcements. "Very nicely done. That didn't take you nearly as long as I thought it would."

Moving quicker than Satoshi could see, Dark was suddenly close, within arm's reach. "I know you have it." He looked the teen up and down appraisingly. "Am I going to have to search you?"

And Satoshi smiled. He whipped his hands out of his pockets, grabbing one of Dark's arms and clicking one wrist of a set of handcuffs around the thief's other wrist before Dark could dodge in the confines of the crowded room.

Dark jumped back before Satoshi could click on the other wrist…and was jerked to a stop. He glared at the commander, who held up his own wrist, sporting the other handcuff.

"You handcuffed yourself to me?" Dark asked, trying to jerk his other hand out of Satoshi's grasp. Satoshi held on tight, and the thief stopped struggling to give him a smirk. "Kinky, commander."

Satoshi simply gazed back at him, satisfaction present in his voice. "You can't get out of this one, Dark."

The humor faded from the thief's eyes. "You know, I could just drag you home with me," he said dangerously.

"I'd like to see you try it," Satoshi responded simply. "You're not that much larger than I am, and I'm not going anywhere. Besides, my reinforcements should be here any second."

He could see Dark's eyes widen. And then they narrowed appraisingly.

"Why Commander," he said huskily, stepping right up to Satoshi and backing him against the wall. Satoshi glared at him, but was distracted for a second by a flash of amber from the thief's dark purple eyes. The thief's free arm escaped from Satoshi's grasp and slipped sensuously up his back.

"I didn't know you cared," he breathed into Satoshi's ear in Daisuke's voice.

Satoshi froze for one fatal second in the shock of hearing Niwa's voice from the thief. And in that second, Dark maneuvered his trapped hand into picking the lock of the handcuffs and his other hand pulled the pendant from Satoshi's back pocket. Satoshi lunged for the thief, furious, but Dark slipped past him and into the hall.

Satoshi could hear the shouts of the officers, but as he emerged from the small room, the shouts turned into puzzled curses as the thief crashed through a stained glass window and, sprouting wings, flew away.

A fury cold and hard as ice filling him, Satoshi turned on his heel and stalked back into the restoration room to get his equipment. As he picked up the spotlight, Hashimoto appeared in the doorway.

"I see he got away. Again," the man observed coolly.

"Apparently," Satoshi said shortly, continuing to work. He turned to pick up a small wastebasket filled with paper.

Hashimoto studied the teen critically. "Your plan didn't work, then," he stated rather than asked.

Satoshi shrugged slightly. "Only partly." He reached into the basket to pull out the real pendant from its hiding place.

Surprise showed on the man's face for an instant. "Dark got away with a fake?"

The commander nodded. "Dark's behavior tends to fall into patterns. One can generally tell what he'll do next." His face tightened as he remembered the thief using Daisuke's voice. "But not always."

XXXXX

For once in his life, Daisuke was truly furious. _Don't you __**ever**__ do that again, Dark! Do you hear me?!_

_Geez, Daisuke, if you were talking out loud the whole __**world**__ would hear you_, Dark said plaintively, wincing away from the loud, angry tones.

_This is not funny!_ Daisuke said hotly. _What you did to Hiwatari-kun was __**cruel**_

_He would have got us!_ Dark protested. _It was the only way!_

_There were a million ways you could have tried to distract him,_ the redhead protested. _You just did it so that you could escape with the necklace. _

_I'm a thief, Daisuke. That's what I do.  
If the job was too hot, we could have tried again tomorrow. What you did wasn't __**necessary**_

Dark scowled. _I'm the Phantom Thief Dark. I don't 'try again tomorrow.' I always get my target._

_Bullshit! _Daisuke retorted. _There was the time with Menou when you waited a whole day just because she asked you to, and then there was the time with Risa when you had to take her home. That time you blew the entire job!_

The thief's scowl deepened. _I don't like doing that. _

_Yeah, but you could've! _Daisuke took a deep breath. _Dark, I know you like winning; I know you like beating Hiwatari-kun in these heists, but I __**don't**__. So leave me out of it._

_Okay, okay,_ Dark said sulkily. _I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this. _

_**Dark…**_

_Fine! _Dark threw up his hands as he landed on Daisuke's balcony. _I won't do it again._

_Good,_ Daisuke said firmly.

"Dark!" Emiko dashed out of the living room as the thief came down the stairs.

He held up the pendant for her to see, and her smile widened. "Excellent job!"

Daiki and Kosuke had followed her out. "We were starting to get worried there for a while," Daiki said. "You were in the museum for a long time."

Dark tossed the necklace to Kosuke. "There were complications."

"What kind of complications?" Emiko asked suspiciously.

Dark sighed. "Forget it. In any case, I got it."

"No, you didn't," Kosuke said, turning the pendant over in his hand.

Three heads whipped around to look at the scholar, who sighed. "It's a fake."

"What?!" Dark ripped the pendant out of Kosuke's hands and looked at it more closely. "I could feel the presence of the real one in the room…" The thief paused, examining the necklace, then scowled darkly, casting it down. "The creepy bastard must have kept the real one hidden somewhere in the room." His eyes narrowed. "How many fakes did he have?!"

"You're referring to Hikari-san, I presume?" Kosuke asked dryly.

Dark was trying to keep his temper under control, but the rapid clenching and unclenching of his fists was giving him away. "He **expected** me to search him?"

_Well, you are predictable,_ Daisuke murmured, his voice carrying just the slightest hint of smugness.

_Shut up!_

Daiki picked the necklace up off the floor. "Odd. It contains just a small trace of magic, enough so you wouldn't notice until you really looked at it."

Dark looked as though he was going to burst. "That's the exact same trick he pulled with the axe. That **bastard**!"

Emiko frowned in concern. "Still—why didn't you notice on the way home? Are you all right?"

"Daisuke and I were having a discussion," the thief said tonelessly.

The look Kosuke gave him was knowing, calculating. "About what?" he asked pointedly.

Dark ignored the question. "Emiko, send out another notice. Please," he added.

"Of course."

"I'll get it tomorrow. You can count on that." And with that, he transformed into Daisuke.

The entire family stared at the redhead. Daisuke stared back stonily, in no mood for talk. "I'm going to bed."

He stalked up the stairs, and Kosuke followed him. "Daisuke…did you and Dark have a fight?"

Daisuke sighed deeply and yanked his black leather jacket off. "I don't want to talk about it, Dad."

A hand landed on his shoulder. Daisuke looked up into his father's concerned eyes. "Did Dark do something to hurt you?" he asked softly.

Daisuke could still see the look of shock and pain on Satoshi's face. "No. He didn't hurt me."

Kosuke caught the slight emphasis on the last word and sighed softly in sympathy. "I see." A look of ominous calm settled on his face. "Do I need to have a talk with Dark?"

Pulling away, Daisuke tossed the jacket in the nearest corner of his room. "No, we got it worked out."  
Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, Kosuke walked to the stairs. "If you're sure."

Daisuke glanced back at him and smiled briefly. "Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks, Dad."

Kosuke gave him an answering smile and shut the door quietly behind him.


	54. Chapter 18: December 19

ASN: Sorry for the delay in updating. I had to go to my graduation.

AN: She just _had_ to work that in somehow…

ASN: Hey, I'm a Master of Science now. Respect me.

AN: I'm going to go eat a box of cookies. Stop me.

ASN: Seeing as how the only cookies we have in the house are sugar-free, have at.

AN: (mutters) Damn nutrition majors.

ASN: Anyway, here's today's chapter.

AN: And there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that today's chapter is short. Very short.

ASN: The good news is that since I'm in a wonderful mood—

AN: Braggart.  
ASN: You're just jealous. The good news is that I'm going to go ahead and post the next chapter, which is really, REALLY long as well. Enjoy!

AN: PS – Over 300 reviews! Thanks to all our loyal readers and reviewers!

**Chapter 18: December 19**

Satoshi was still angry the next morning, and even the appearance of a second, somewhat-embarrassed-sounding notice about the pendant didn't amuse him. Apparently the Niwa had discovered the fake.

He closed the notification email from the police station and shut down his laptop. Slipping it into his bag, he gathered his few loose papers and headed out of the apartment toward the stairs.

He wasn't looking forward to seeing Daisuke after last night.

_**This**__ is why I warned you not to get close to the Niwa,_ Krad hissed. _They will not hesitate to use any means necessary to defeat us._

_Go back to sleep,_ Satoshi said flatly.

_No. _Krad pushed briefly against his barriers. _It is high time that you realize what that boy has done to you. _

_Don't lecture me. _

_Look how weak you have become!_ Krad sneered. _Before, nothing could stand in between you and capturing Dark. Now, all it takes is the sound of the Niwa's voice and you are vulnerable. _

_I didn't know Dark's capabilities for voice imitation were that impressive,_ Satoshi said shortly. _I was startled. That's all. _

_And how do you know it was Dark?_ Krad asked maliciously. _He and the Niwa could have been working together, to 'startle you.' And it worked, did it not? Did you ever think of that?_

Actually, the thought had crossed Satoshi's mind the previous night. After all, Daisuke had initiated everything thus far. It was possible that this friendship, or whatever the hell it was, was something that Dark and the Niwa family had come up with to distract him.

And deep, hidden within Satoshi's most private thoughts, he admitted to himself that if such was the case, he didn't how he would handle it.

However, he would never give Krad the satisfaction of saying so. _I know what I'm doing—_

_No, you do not. Not anymore. _Krad's voice was deadly serious. _You are confused, uncertain. You no longer know where you are going with this entire charade. You are going to ruin everything. _

Satoshi's eyes narrowed as he strode through the lobby of the apartment building. _It's __**my**__ damn life, not yours, and I'll ruin it as I see fit._

He pushed open the outside door with more force than was necessary; so hard, in fact, that the door swung all the way open and slapped against the outside wall.

A surprised Niwa Daisuke blinked first at Satoshi, and then at the door, which had come within ten centimeters of hitting him. "Good morning to you, too."

"What are you doing here?" Satoshi asked, annoyed. Krad hovered on the edges of his consciousness, scowling at the Niwa boy. Satoshi ignored him.

Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "I figured you would want to talk." He eyed the door, which was slowly swinging shut. "I guess I was right."

Satoshi pulled his bag a little further up onto his shoulder and began walking. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Last night," Daisuke said simply, falling into step beside him.

"I see you discovered the fake," he responded coolly.

"Yeah," Daisuke said with a slight grin. "That was a good trick."

Surprised, Satoshi glanced at him sideways. "I thought you would be angry."

"Well," Daisuke ran a hand through his hand, "Mom was kind of upset, and Dark whined all night, but it **was** a good trick. Fair's fair, after all."

The commander's face hardened. "From what I can tell, our definitions of 'fair' vary greatly."

Moving so quickly he almost blurred, Daisuke stepped squarely into Satoshi's path, forcing him to stop and look at him. "Hiwatari-kun…that wasn't my idea. I had nothing to do with that."

Satoshi was somewhat startled that Daisuke had realized precisely what he was talking about that quickly. "It sounded exactly like you," he said not-quite-accusingly.

"It wasn't." Daisuke shook his head. "Dark's really good at imitating voices. Remember the time with that female lieutenant's radio a couple weeks ago?"

Against his better judgment, Satoshi found himself believing him. He knew he should be doubtful, but he **wanted** to believe Daisuke. "But—"

"Hiwatari-kun." Daisuke looked straight into his eyes. "I would **never** do that."

Satoshi recognized the honesty in the amber eyes, and nodded. "All right."

A smile surfaced on the redhead's face. "Good."

"If your curse ever does that again…" he warned.

"He won't," Daisuke answered with absolute certainty.

Satoshi again looked at him doubtfully. "Really?"

Daisuke nodded. "Yes. I already yelled at him for it."

He couldn't quite believe that. "You…yelled at Dark?"

"Yeah, I did." Daisuke shrugged. "What's between you and Dark is between you and Dark, and what's between you and me is between you and me, and they shouldn't be mixed."

Satoshi nodded once in agreement, and the two boys continued walking to school. Daisuke quickly returned to his easygoing chatter about everything and nothing, and Satoshi let the words flow over him as he walked.

But in that deep, private part of his mind, Satoshi couldn't help but wonder what exactly **was** between him and Daisuke.


	55. Chapter 19: December 19

**Chapter 19: December 19**

Daisuke sighed and braced himself as he walked into the classroom. Sure enough, Saehara jumped on him as soon as he appeared.

"Daisuke!"

"Yeah?" he asked in a strangled tone.

Saehara didn't notice. "Aimi-chan and I are going to go out again tonight!" He loosened his stranglehold as he punched one fist into the air. "She said that I was **interesting**!"

Daisuke sighed deeply. _Should we tell him about the Chinese curse thing?_

_Don't bother,_ Dark said dismissively. _I don't think he's listening to anyone at this point._

_You're probably right_, Daisuke agreed. He slapped his bag onto his desk.

It 'kyuu'ed.

_Oh, no. _Daisuke ripped open the flap of his bag and With stared up at him.

"Kyuu!" he said cheerfully.

The redhead resisted the urge to bang his head on his desk. _I have a test in ten minutes. I can't take him home._

_Leave him in your bag, then._

_And you really think he'll stay?_ Daisuke asked incredulously.

He could feel Dark shrug. _He might. You don't really have any choice, anyway._

Daisuke peered into his bag and scowled fiercely at the rabbit. "You can stay for now, but you have to stay in my bag and be completely silent, do you understand?" he asked sternly.

With looked up at him happily. "Kyuu!"

Sighing, Daisuke closed the bag most of the way, leaving a hole so With could breathe, and shoved the bag under his desk.

XXXXX

Things went downhill quickly, of course. With quickly got bored cooped up in the dark bag, and tried to crawl out during second period. Luckily, Daisuke noticed With sticking his head out of the bag, and shoved him back inside with his foot.

With showed his extreme displeasure with this act by nipping the redhead's finger when Daisuke reached in to his bag to get his homework.

And then in third period, With somehow managed to get out of the bag and crawled into his desk. When Daisuke pulled him out and stuffed him back in the book bag, he 'kyuu'ed angrily. As the rest of the class looked around trying to figure out what the sound was, Daisuke tried to keep With from squirming back out. He ended up having to hold the flap shut with his foot for the rest of the period.

By the time lunch rolled around, Daisuke's nerves were on edge. So, naturally, Saehara wanted to talk.

"Daisuke!" The reporter bounced up and threw an arm around his shoulders. "I have an idea to bounce off of you."

"I'm kind of busy right now," Daisuke responded, keeping a tight hold in his slightly quivering bag and trying to slip out of Saehara's grasp.

Saehara didn't let go. "It'll only take a minute. I was wondering, what do you think about doing another class play in the spring?"

Daisuke frowned. "Another play? Like Ice and Snow?"

"Yeah!" Saehara said cheerfully. "Except this time we're thinking about Romeo and Juliet."

A sick feeling arose in Daisuke's stomach. "Romeo and Juliet?"

Saehara grinned cheerfully. "You and Hiwatari would be excellent in the leading roles!"

_Who didn't see that coming?_ Dark asked rhetorically.

"I'm not interested," Daisuke told him a little sharply.

"But it would be so great!" Saehara enthused. "I mean, think about it. Two families who have hated each other for hundreds of years. And two, the best from each family, are destined for one another."

Dark shuddered. _Make him stop. _

Saehara pumped a fist in the air. "There won't be a dry eye in the house!"

"That's what you said last time," Daisuke pointed out.

"And I was right!"

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "I don't think tears of laughter count."

"Nah, they were real tears," Saehara objected.

_Seriously, make him stop and get out of here,_ Dark told him. _With's chewing a hole in the corner of your bag and he's almost gotten through. _

Daisuke slapped a hand onto the corner of his bag and heard a squeak. "Later, Saehara, okay?"

A calculating look crossed his friend's face. "Of course, Daisuke. I wouldn't want to keep you from Hiwatari any longer."

Sighing, Daisuke didn't even dignify that with a response, but instead turned and walked down the hall.

"Make sure you tell Hiwatari about the play!" Saehara yelled after him.

A few people turned to stare at Daisuke curiously, and he could feel himself blushing. He strode the last few steps to the stairwell a little faster than normal.

_So are you going to tell the commander?_ Dark asked curiously.

Daisuke shook his head violently as he pushed open the door to the roof. _Of course not. Can you imagine what he'd do if I told him he was supposed to play Romeo?_

Dark grinned mischievously. _No, but I'd really love to see it._

The redhead sighed and walked over to his normal spot. It was getting a little cold to eat up here. The wind whistled over the top of the roof, and Daisuke pulled his jacket a little closer. He turned into the sheltered corner where he and Satoshi usually ate.

Satoshi looked up from his book. "You're late, Niwa."

"Saehara wanted to talk," Daisuke said sourly as he sat down and pulled the bag into his lap.

"About what?" Satoshi asked casually, turning back to his book.

"You don't want to know," Daisuke said with a small sigh. He reached into the bag to grab With, but the rabbit evaded his grasp. The redhead scowled and turned the bag upside down and started shaking. Books and notebooks fell out in a rain of paper. A napkin-wrapped bundle fell out as well, coming open to reveal a mess of half-eaten food, empty wrappers, and other debris.

_Umm…was that your lunch?_

Daisuke's mouth fell open. He yanked the bag closer. "Is this payback for stepping on you in third period?!" he demanded.

"Kyuuuuu," came the annoyed answer from the depths of his bag.

"Niwa…" Satoshi was looking at him rather oddly. "What are you doing?"

Scowling fiercely, Daisuke shook the bag harder. "Get out here!" he demanded.

The little rabbit creature tumbled out of the bag, landing on Daisuke's lap headfirst. He whimpered and glanced up at his owner. "Kyuu," he said unhappily.

Despite himself, Daisuke's anger faded a little. "Oh, I'm sorry, With."

With turned away, sticking his nose into the air and pouting. Or pouting as well as a rabbit can.

Satoshi was still looking at him quite strangely. "Why did you bring your familiar to school?" he asked.

"Oh, believe me, I didn't bring him," Daisuke said in an exasperated tone. "Sometimes With just stows away, and then I'm stuck trying to keep him out of trouble all day." He poked the remnants of his meal and sighed. "Well, it would have been a nice lunch."

"Can't you just send him home?"

Daisuke gave him an incredulous look. "He's a rabbit, not a dog, Hiwatari-kun."

"Actually, it's probably some sort of lesser demon," Satoshi corrected dryly. "If it can come find you at play practice, I'm sure it's intelligent enough to go home when you tell it."

"He won't," Daisuke said with finality. "With has a mind of his own, and he does whatever he feels like doing."

"An appropriate familiar for Dark."

With crawled into Daisuke's lap, apparently having come to the decision that getting out of the cold was a better idea than sulking. Daisuke sighed and patted him on the head. "Why do you do this to me?"

"Kyuu," With mumbled, settling in for a nap.

Satoshi studied him for a moment, then calmly held out the meat bun he usually brought for lunch. The redhead blinked. "What…?"

"I wasn't going to eat anyway," Satoshi said neutrally. "You should have it."

"I—" Daisuke was touched by the gesture, as simple as it was. "You don't have to do that."

"It would go to waste otherwise," Satoshi responded.

Daisuke smiled, knowing that the teen wouldn't admit to any other reason than that for sharing. "Thank you," he said, taking it.

Satoshi nodded and glanced back down at his book. Daisuke took the hint and settled back to enjoy the silence and calm. The bell was going to ring soon, and he didn't have a clue what he was going to do about With. But, hey…the day was half over.

XXXXX

Unfortunately, the last half of the day didn't get any better than the first half.

Already late from having to drag With out of the corner of the boys' bathroom, Daisuke ran off to get dressed for his PE class. He slid into the boy's changing room, opened his locker, and seriously considered sticking With in it for the period.

_That's probably not a good idea,_ Dark commented.

_Yeah, you're right, _Daisuke admitted. _He might suffocate._

_Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of he might chew up your clothes. _

"C'mon, Daisuke!" Nishimura slapped him on the back. "We're gonna be late."

With a sigh, Daisuke yanked his shirt over his head and grabbed his bag. He'd leave With in it and sit the bag by the bleachers.

"Can you believe we're actually supposed to go outside today?" Saehara groused to Nishimura as the three of them walked outside to the field. "It's cold and windy! Miserable!"

Nishimura nodded sympathetically. "We're running laps today, so we can't really do that inside."

Saehara scowled slightly and pointed at a slight figure sitting in the bleachers. "Isn't that Hiwatari?"

Daisuke could see the sun shining off the pale hair, and nodded. "Yeah."

"Is he sick?" Nishimura frowned.

"No," Saehara frowned. "Didn't you notice? Hiwatari never has to do anything for PE." He grinned slightly. "The closest thing he ever did to actual exercise was give Daisuke mouth-to-mouth during that swimming class."

Daisuke blushed to the roots of his hair.

"So, Daisuke," Saehara elbowed him, "Tell us, how does he get out of it? He doesn't have some weird medical condition, does he?"

_Not unless you count a psychopath that lives in the back of his head,_ Dark said cheerfully.

Daisuke ignored him. "I don't think so."

Nishimura looked confused. "So why don't the teachers make him participate?"

Daisuke winced at the thought. "I don't think anyone could make Hiwatari-kun do something he didn't want to."

Both Saehara and Nishimura looked confused at that, but by then the three boys had reached the rest of the class.

"All right!" the teacher called. "Everyone is going to run five laps around the field, and we're going to start off in groups of three. Sakimoto, Harada, and Harada, you're up!"

The three girls started jogging around the field. The teacher waited about thirty seconds, then called another three students.

Daisuke stretched slightly, getting loosened up to run. He bent over to touch his toes.

_Daisuke! Heads up!_

The redhead jerked his head up to see a white flash go buzzing by. He whirled and set off after With.

"Masahiro, Nishimura, Niwa! Your turn!" the teacher yelled.

Daisuke sighed and catching up with the demon-rabbit, scooped him up.

He could see the teacher looking around in the distance. "Niwa? Where are you?" she called exasperatedly.

Daisuke looked around somewhat wildly. Where could he leave With for the period? Where could he put him so that the rabbit wouldn't cause trouble?

He could only think of one place, and started running.

XXXXX

"Hiwatari-kun!"

Satoshi looked up from his book in surprise.

Niwa came running flat out towards him, the demon-rabbit clutched in his arms. The angry shouts of the PE teacher followed him. He came to a screeching halt in front of Satoshi. "Can you watch With for a while?"

"What?" Satoshi's eyes widened as he stared at the white creature Daisuke proffered. "Niwa, it hates me."

"Niwa! Get over here or you're getting a zero!" came a bellow from the field.

Daisuke tossed the rabbit into his arms. Satoshi automatically caught the animal, but quickly set it down on the bench next to him. The redhead started running back. "Just rub his ears, he loves that!" he yelled and was gone.

Satoshi stared at With.

With stared at Satoshi.

They didn't move.

They didn't blink.

A brisk breeze blew, and the rabbit ruffled its fur against the chill, huddling on the bench.

"If I touch you, will you bite me?" Satoshi asked finally.

The demon rabbit 'kyuu'ed in a friendly sort of way and jumped onto Satoshi's lap, snuggling down away from the wind.

Satoshi hesitantly touched it along its back. The fur was soft and dense, and very warm. The teen tentatively began to stroke the animal.

It chirred happily.

Satoshi was still stroking the demon rabbit, burying his cold hands in the warm fur, when Daisuke returned, dressed in his school uniform again and carrying his bag.

The redhead gave the two a huge smile. "See? He's not so bad." He plucked the rabbit from Satoshi's lap and stuffed With back in the bag. The demon-rabbit protested, but he ignored the sounds, closing the flap and sighing. "Only two more classes to go."

Satoshi frowned slightly. "What are you going to do about studying this evening?"

Daisuke clapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh, no!"

"How long will it take you to go home?"

"It depends." Daisuke sighed. "If I take him home after school and he actually cooperates with me and doesn't run off somewhere, I'll still have to deal with my parents. I mean, Mom will have her training traps set up, and I'll have to get past those."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Then she'll want to talk, and that'll take hours, and Dad's been quizzing me on the stuff I'm supposed to steal lately, can you believe that?" He looked at Satoshi, who simply shrugged. "All of that is going to cut into my research time. The whole day is pretty much wasted." He yanked the flap of his bag open and glared at With. "This is important research, With, and your reckless decision to stow away has cost me an entire day."

"Kyuu," the familiar sighed dejectedly.

"Unless…" Daisuke turned to Satoshi, a sheepish hope growing in his eyes. "Unless you wouldn't mind if With came over with me."

Satoshi's eyes widened. "You want to bring your familiar to my apartment? With all my **books**?"

"He won't do anything," Daisuke said persuasively.

"Niwa-kun," Satoshi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose above his glasses, "You said earlier that it has a mind of its own and does whatever it feels like doing."

"I really don't want to go home and face my parents right after school," Daisuke said pleadingly. "Please?"

Satoshi sighed again. "All right."

Daisuke's face lit up. "Thank you, Hiwatari-kun!"

The commander shot him a glare. "If he does anything to my books or papers, Niwa, Dark will have to find a new set of wings."

The bag quivered as a faint 'kyuu' came from it.

"Aw, he wouldn't do anything to you," Daisuke waved the threat away and patted the bag comfortingly. He looked up at the commander. "Would you, Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi gave him his best deadpan and walked into the classroom.

XXXXX

"The familiar doesn't come near the books," Satoshi said flatly as he closed the apartment door behind them.

Daisuke frowned slightly. "Are you sure? It might be a good idea to keep an eye on him." The look Satoshi gave him could have chipped diamond. "On second thought, we could shut him in the bathroom."

_I just want you to know, I am in no way seeing this end well,_ Dark stated.

Daisuke ignored him and took With into Satoshi's tiny bathroom. "Now, stay here and don't eat the shower curtain," he said flatly.

The animal grinned up at him. "Kyuu."

The redhead sighed deeply, closed the door behind him, and returned to the living room.

As soon as the two sat down, Satoshi handed him a book with a tattered binding. "This is a history written by one of the Hikari daughters during the Cultural Reform. It might mention the axe."

He obediently took the book and began to read. It was very interesting, so much so that Daisuke didn't notice the hours flying by.

"Niwa?"

Daisuke jerked his head up. "Hmm?"

Satoshi actually looked somewhat concerned. "Aren't you supposed to be home by seven?"

Daisuke dropped his gaze to his watch and gasped. It was twenty till. "I'm gonna be late," he groaned, sliding down on the sofa. "Mom's going to kill me."

"Why don't you just call her and tell her you're going to be late?" Satoshi asked slowly. "That way she'd know you were on your way, at least."

"That's a good idea, Hiwatari-kun!" Daisuke said gratefully. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"It's on the desk." Satoshi gestured.

"Thanks, I'll just grab With first," Daisuke called over his shoulder, opening the bathroom door.

With was nowhere in sight. "Oh, no."

_Told ya, _Dark said smugly.

"Niwa? Is something wrong?"

The redhead ran forward and yanked the shower curtain aside. There was no rabbit hiding within. Or underneath the commode. Or in the cabinets.

"Niwa…" Satoshi was now standing by the entrance to the room, and his mouth had compressed to a thin line.

"No, I'll find him," Daisuke assured him frantically as he dashed into the kitchen. With was not sleeping on top of the refrigerator, hiding underneath the table, or tucked away by the stove.

"Niwa, I don't think he could have gotten in those," came the cool voice from the door.

Daisuke looked up from opening all the overhead cupboards and grinned sheepishly at the teen leaning against the doorframe. "You're probably right." He walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room. "The front door's closed and locked, and even With can't do locks yet. I think."

Satoshi sighed. "It's probably still in the apartment somewhere. We just need to go about this methodically."

"Yeah," Daisuke agreed, downcast. "I guess we should check your other rooms."

The commander nodded, a carefully blank look on his face, and gestured for the redhead to go first.

"I'm sorry," Daisuke offered miserably as he pulled his bag off the couch. There was no rabbit underneath, or tucked away asleep inside. He ducked to look under the couch. No rabbit.

"It's okay, Niwa," Satoshi said with a sigh as he peered under his desk. There was no rabbit. "I just hope he hasn't destroyed anything, that's all."

"With isn't destructive," Daisuke said softly, "Just…playful. He probably thinks this is a game."

Satoshi pushed his glasses back up his nose and stared at him darkly.

Flushing, Daisuke turned away and walked to the room across the hall.

_You know, if you let me out, I could call for With,_ Dark said casually.

Daisuke shook his head. _What do you think would make Hiwatari angrier, having With loose in his apartment, or having __**you**__ loose in his apartment? _he asked dryly.

Dark considered that for a moment. _Good point. _He brightened. _At least now we have an excuse to look through all his stuff!_

The redhead sighed.

Satoshi opened the door and walked inside, and Daisuke followed. This room was clearly Satoshi's bedroom. It was empty except for a small dresser and a bed, the covers twisted and tossed around.

For some reason, seeing the sole spot of disorder in the house seemed incredibly private, and Daisuke stayed in the doorway as Satoshi peered under the bed and behind the dresser.

"He not in here," Satoshi said sourly as he got back to his feet. "He must be in the storage room or the study." He shut his door behind him firmly as he approached the next room.

"What do you keep in the storage room?" Daisuke asked cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

Satoshi didn't answer, only pushed open the door. The small, windowless room was filled with brown cardboard boxes and a few pieces of odd-shaped furniture draped with protective cloths. They were all loosely closed, not sealed. It was entirely possible that the familiar was hiding in one of them. Daisuke saw Satoshi's shoulders tense and sighed again. "I'm so sorry, Hiwatari-kun," he murmured.

The commander sighed. "It's okay, Niwa. Stop apologizing." He started opening boxes, looking inside, then closing them more securely.

Daisuke tentatively approached. "Is it okay if I help?"

Satoshi shrugged, pulling open another box. "Please do."

The redhead bent down and opened the carton closest to him. It was filled with pastels and packages of watercolors, but no rabbit. He closed it and went onto the next. It was heavier, and contained some oddly shaped pliers and cutters.

_They're used to make jewelry with,_ Dark told him, peering curiously at them himself. Daisuke frowned and opened a box that seemed less dusty than the others next to it. This one contained paints and a set of delicate brushes decorated with a wing pattern. His brow furrowed. "Do all these boxes contain art supplies?"

"Mostly," Satoshi said shortly, securing a box and moving onto the next.

Daisuke stood and pulled the dustcover off one of the odd shapes. It was an elaborately carved easel, carefully designed to be able to tilt in any direction to catch the maximum amount of sunlight. He gaped shamelessly. "These are really nice, Hiwatari-kun!"

The commander didn't say anything.

The redhead pulled the cover off the next lump, which appeared to be a pottery wheel of some sort. He swirled the cloth back over it, and turned to the older teen. "I thought you said you didn't make art," he questioned softly.

Satoshi closed the lid of the last box and stood. "I don't."

"But…" Daisuke gestured around him.

"They're not mine, not really," the commander said. "I inherited these."

Daisuke frowned. "Art supplies?"

"Some of the art that you Niwa have has been passed down for generations, has it not?" Satoshi asked with a sigh, walking forward and replacing the cover on the easel.

The redhead nodded slowly.

"Very little of our art remains within the family. These," he gestured around him, "are the Hikari heirlooms; not art but the tools with which to make it."

"Oh," Daisuke said, surprised. "That's…kinda cool, actually."

Satoshi shot him a startled glance, then relaxed a little, smiling slightly. "If you say so, Niwa." He straightened the cover over the easel and gazed around the room. "I don't think your familiar is in here."

Daisuke frowned as he walked back into the hall. "Where did he go?"

At the end of the hall was the door to the archives, which With certainly wasn't in, since Satoshi kept that door securely closed.

That left only the back room. Daisuke's eyes widened as he approached. The door was slightly ajar. "With!" He pushed the door open and dashed in.

The room was lined with bookshelves, but Daisuke didn't notice. His attention was focused on the chair that stood in the middle of the room.

It was a large stone chair, elaborately carved with a pair of wings that spread out triumphantly from the back of the chair. Even more interesting was the fact that one of the wings was broken. It hadn't been broken over time. Rather, it had been carved broken.

It was one of the most fascinating art pieces Daisuke had ever seen.

"Niwa," Satoshi said softly.

Daisuke turned to face him, and the commander wordlessly nodded towards the chair.

With was curled up asleep underneath it.

"With!" Daisuke reached down and pulled the demon-rabbit out from under the chair.

The rabbit 'kyuu'ed sleepily and snuggled into his arms. Daisuke scowled at him and shook him slightly. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

With only turned over in his sleep, and Daisuke looked up at Satoshi. "I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun. At least it doesn't look like he did anything."

The commander nodded agreement.

Daisuke walked back towards the door, carrying the familiar, then turned to look back at the chair. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"A chair," Satoshi said dryly.

The redhead shot him a look. "That wasn't what I meant, Hiwatari-kun, and you know it."

Satoshi shrugged uncomfortably. "It's the other Hikari heirloom."

Daisuke gazed at it. "It's amazing. I've never heard of this piece before, and I thought I knew most of the Hikari works."

"It's not Hikari."

The redhead's gaze shot back to the commander. "It's not?"

"No." Satoshi shook his head. "It was made for the Hikari, but the man who made it wasn't Hikari himself, only married to one. He made it for his wife after their son died."

"It's lovely," Daisuke said distantly, finding his gaze drawn back to it.

"I like it," Satoshi said softly, gazing at it as well. Then he abruptly shook his head and his face grew closed again. "It's late, Niwa."

Daisuke's mouth dropped. He jerked his arm up to read his watch. It was almost seven fifteen. "Oh no!" He bolted down the hall to the living room and snatched up his bag, unceremoniously stuffing With into it. He heard the door to the back room click as he swirled his jacket on, and Satoshi appeared from the hallway.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Niwa," he said.

Daisuke waved and tossed his bag over his shoulder. "Bye!" He bolted out and down the stairs, hitting the ground floor running.

_Mom's going to be so angry, _he moaned.

He could feel Dark shrug. _It's not really your fault._

_Since when has that made a difference?_ Daisuke sighed, jogging towards home. His thoughts wandered back to the chair. _That was an amazing art work. I can't believe it's not Hikari. _

_The guy who carved it was almost as good,_ Dark told him.

_You knew him?_

_In a sense_, Dark said softly. _His son was Krad's host for a while._

Daisuke frowned. _I thought Hiwatari-kun said that the son died._

_He did._

There was a pause as Dark's words sank in. _How?_ Daisuke finally asked softly.

Dark's voice suddenly sounded tired. _Krad is very hard on his Tamers. This one wasn't strong enough to carry him._

Daisuke was silent.

_I followed the Hikari Tamers every once in a while. It's always best to know where your enemies live,_ Dark explained. _The boy's father had started carving the chair for him before he died, and it had two good wings then. He must have finished it after his son died. _

_And then he finished it with a broken wing,_ Daisuke finished softly.

_When I appeared in the next generation of Niwa, Krad appeared in a son in another branch of the Hikari, since the stonecarver's son had died without children. But I remember seeing the chair in the Hikari household. I guess it's been passed down._ The phantom thief shrugged. _It's never exhibited any magical potential, which is why I never stole it._

Daisuke was thoughtfully silent for a moment as he continued to run. _Did it seem…sad to you?_

_It speaks of loss, Daisuke, _the phantom thief said slowly. _Nothing in the world hurts like the loss of a loved one. _

The redhead's steps slowed briefly as an echo of the thief's pain resonated in him. _Are you okay, Dark?_

_Yeah,_ the thief said brightly. Too brightly. _Just…make sure you appreciate what you have while you have it, okay?_

Daisuke nodded solemnly as he jogged up his street. He did appreciate everything he had. A thoughtful dad, a strict-but-caring grandfather, his slightly-insane-but-loving mother, Dark, Towa-chan, With, his friends…

Hiwatari-kun.

Daisuke turned into the sidewalk leading to his house. He had…whatever it was he had with Hiwatari-kun.

But before he could ponder it any more, the door was wrenched open and an infuriated Emiko stood in front of him. "Daisuke!" she said ominously. "You're late!"

The redhead sighed. Thinking about Satoshi would have to wait.


	56. Chapter 20: December 20

ASN: Sorry for the delay, but I think you'll agree this one was worth the wait.

**Chapter 20: December 20**

Rain streamed down the windows of Satoshi's apartment late the next afternoon, providing a faint background noise that curiously complemented his research.

Unfortunately, his hair was being especially irritating today, and Satoshi brushed it out of his face for what had to be the thirtieth time that day. It fell right back into his eyes, and he sighed.

Daisuke laughed, and Satoshi raised an eyebrow at him. "And what, may I ask, is so amusing, Niwa?"

"Oh, nothing at all," Daisuke responded with a grin. "I guess the humidity from all this rain isn't doing much good for your hair."

Satoshi gave him his patented 'it may be funny to someone, but **I'm** not laughing' look and turned back to his book.

Daisuke quieted, and for a moment, all was silent. Then a new voice spoke up.

"Fancy meeting you here, Commander."

Shocked, Satoshi's head snapped up. Dark was sitting stiffly on his couch, a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Well, this is awkward," the thief cracked nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Satoshi demanded, rising to his feet. "What have you done to Niwa?"

"Believe me," Dark snapped back, standing as well, "do you think I **want** to be here?"

The commander was, momentarily, thrown for a loop. "What?"

The thief rolled his eyes. "For being a genius, you can be **so** stupid sometimes."

Understanding crashed upon Satoshi in massive wave—bringing with it feelings of astonishment, an uncontrollable bit of pleasure…and a good amount of fear. "You mean…Niwa is—?"

"Thinking a little too highly of you, apparently," Dark said, sounding a little concerned. "Emiko's going to kill him."

"He—" Satoshi began in a daze, then shook his head as if to clear it. "Change back," he demanded.

Dark raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Bring him back."

"No, not yet," Dark said thoughtfully, sitting back down and making himself comfortable. "I think we need to talk first, Honorable Commander."

"About what?" Satoshi asked suspiciously, pointedly remaining standing.

Dark smiled softly. "The most important person in our lives, of course."

Satoshi crossed his arms and waited.

Sure enough, Dark didn't disappoint him. "Do you love him?"

Even though Satoshi had been expecting the question, he still wasn't completely prepared for it. "Dark…"

"No dancing. Just answer me."

He looked down at the carpet. "I can't," he whispered.

"Can't?" Dark was beginning to get angry, he could tell. "Can't?! That doesn't mean anything! Are you saying that you don't? Is that it?"

"No, I'm saying that I **can't**," Satoshi snapped, glancing back up. "I'll only hurt him."

Dark's anger abruptly subsided. "How do you know you're not hurting him now?" he asked softly.

Sudden guilt flashed through him, and Satoshi knew that he hadn't managed to keep it from crossing his face.

"I thought so," Dark whispered.

Then the thief was gone, and a blushing redhead was in his place.

Silence filled the apartment as the two boys stared at each other. "Niwa—" Satoshi said finally, taking a step forward.

Daisuke immediately bolted and was gone from sight in seconds.

XXXXX

Daisuke had almost fallen down the stairs in his rush to get out of the apartment building. Now he was pelting headlong through the heavy rain, trying not to run into anything.

_Daisuke, calm down—_

_**Leave me alone!**_

How could he have done it? When had he fallen in love again? Why hadn't he seen it coming?

And, oh god, what did Satoshi think?

For some reason he couldn't quite realize or accept, he was crying. One hardly noticed, due to all the rain, but he recognized the tight feeling in his chest. The last time he'd cried, he'd just broken up with Riku-san…

And Satoshi had been there, waiting for him. A steady presence in his life.

Always ready to save him…always there for him…

Like now.

Just as Daisuke had run past an alleyway, Satoshi had come sliding out of it and stopped in front of him, dripping wet. "Niwa!"

Daisuke skidded to a halt right before he ran into him. Seizing the opportunity, Satoshi caught him by the shoulders and pulled him into the alley, out of the road.

"Hiwatari-kun—"

"Shh!" Satoshi studied him carefully. "You ran from me."

"I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke babbled desperately as he tried to hide his tears. "I don't know what happened…I just was thinking about you and—"

"I said shh!"

Daisuke shut up as Satoshi gently brushed his cheek with one finger. "Don't run from me," the taller boy said softly, a look of concern obvious in his eyes. "I don't like it."

Then he lowered his head and kissed Daisuke.

It was soft and sweet and tasted like rain. Surprised, Daisuke pulled away with a gasp…and backed into the alley wall. Satoshi stepped forward, trapping him in place, and set one hand on other side of the smaller boy, leaning in to reestablish contact. This time, Daisuke let him.

As the rain continued to pour, they leaned in to each other. Just for a moment, the history, the feud, the curses, didn't matter. It was just the two of them, kissing tentatively at first, then with a gaining confidence, accepting that, perhaps, something had happened between them that neither had expected.

Satoshi pulled away at last, not letting go as he studied the redhead in his arms. Daisuke swallowed, sniffling a little. "Why'd you—"

"Because I wanted to," Satoshi told him with a vague smile.

"Are you okay?"

The smile turned a little sickly. "He's very angry…you'd better go."

"I don't want to leave you alone," Daisuke said stubbornly. "What if you get hurt?"

"Better me than you," Satoshi responded, turning away. "I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"

"Hiwatari-kun…"

"Go!"

Daisuke reached out a hand to him…and suddenly Dark was there again. "Take care, commander," the thief said shortly. "He's going to be sad if you get hurt."

Satoshi waved a hand even as he doubled over in pain, and Dark ran for safety. He wasn't sure if Satoshi could control himself. Not after that.

_Will he be okay?_

_I don't know. _

_Are you sure it's a good idea to leave him alone?_ Daisuke pressed, worried. _What if something happens? He's not even indoors!_

_The commander has taken care of himself for this long without your assistance. He'll be fine. _

When Daisuke spoke again, his voice was hesitant. _Dark? Are you…mad at me?_

Dark tripped over a loose stone, surprised despite himself. He hadn't meant to imply that he was upset. _No, moron. _

_So why do you sound angry? _

_Daisuke, _Dark sighed and finally slowed down. _Honestly, I think it's kinda masochistic for you to get over your cousin by falling for your worst enemy…but I'm not really in the position to say anything. _

Daisuke huffed slightly. _You live in my head._

_But not in your heart,_ Dark countered.

The redhead was silent for a moment. _So, you don't hate me? _he asked softly.

_Never,_ Dark replied with a grin. _Come on, let's change back before someone spots me and calls the cops. _

Daisuke nodded agreement as they switched. They were almost home, and he didn't really want to explain to his mom exactly why he had changed.

_It would certainly lead to interesting confrontations, _Dark commented.

_And it would lead to a conversation I really don't want to have right now,_ Daisuke responded. _Mom was mad enough the first time. _

_I'll say. _

He trotted down the street and opened the door quietly, hoping he could sneak in before anyone noticed.

No such luck. Towa was dusting the front hall lamp. "Daisuke! You're soaked!"

"Yeah, it's raining," he responded, wringing out the tail of his t-shirt.

She squeaked. "Oh! I just mopped!"

"Sorry," Daisuke apologized sincerely. "I'll clean it up once I get changed." "And where's your umbrella?" she chided, waggling a finger. "You're going to catch a cold."

"Oh!" He clapped a hand to his forehead. "I left all my stuff at Hiwatari-kun's."

"Do you have to go back and get it?" Towa asked. "I can go get a raincoat for you."

Paling slightly, he shook his head. "I don't think that's such a good idea. He'll bring it to school tomorrow, I'm sure."

He brushed at his pants, making a face as the water puddle at his feet grew. "Ugh. I'm going to go change."

He moved toward his room, only to stop when Towa spoke his name. The serious look on her face was completely at odds with the silly maid's outfit she wore. "I truly believe that if anyone can guide the Hikari line out of the mess they've put themselves in, it's you."

Daisuke flushed slightly, running his hand nervously through his sopping hair. "I don't know—I can barely keep myself and Dark out of trouble. How can I solve the Hikari's problems?"

Towa smiled cheerfully. "I have confidence in you, Dai-chan!" she enthused, and then she bounced away to fetch a mop.

Daisuke blinked after her.

_You know, she's probably gonna think that you and the commander are __**cute**_ Dark commented in a slightly malicious tone._ And she likes to take pictures, in order to 'keep the memories alive.' _

Daisuke groaned mentally. _She'll be the only one in the family. _

_Nah, your dad will back you the entire way,_ Dark continued. _Remember, he was the one with the idea to combine the Hikari and the Niwa bloodlines. _

_DARK! _

The thief snickered. _Nice to know you still have that great sense of humor. _

With a sigh, Daisuke made his wet, squishy way up the stairs. _You act like this on purpose, don't you? _

_And you wouldn't have it any other way. _

XXXXX

"The situation has gotten out of hand," a cold voice announced. "It is becoming more difficult to overpower him. Personally, I would recommend that we move quickly. I just need three or four days to get my affairs in order."

Hiwatari removed his glasses and polished them thoughtfully. "If that is your suggestion, then we shall do so. Is everything set?"

"Just a few more preparations and we should be ready," the voice replied. "I will contact you again in three days."

"And we can end this once and for all," Hiwatari said with a smile.


	57. Chapter 21: December 21

ASN: Greetings and hallucinations, loyal readers!

AN: We now have over 330 reviews, and we can't tell you how much it means to us that you're enjoying our story so far.

ASN: Now, a couple of people have commented that they like the story, but that the pace has been pretty slow.

AN: Well, here's our answer. If you would, please think of the story as one of those huge roller coaster rides. There's always a few dips and drops before you get to the really big drop where you plummet six stories going however-many-million-miles-per-hour.

ASN: We've had our little ups and downs along the way, but a lot of these chapters have been to get you all to the top. It gets pretty intense from here on in, so get ready.

AN: And hang on.

**Chapter 21: December 21**

Daisuke hurried into the classroom with only a few minutes to spare. Satoshi hadn't been waiting outside as usual, and that had worried him. To his relief, though, Satoshi was already in the classroom, sitting at his desk with a book, Daisuke's things next to him.

He approached the desk with some degree of caution. "Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi glanced up. "Yes, Niwa?"

"Well, I—" He stopped and peered closer at his friend. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't sleep last night," Satoshi told him.

Daisuke believed him; it explained the dark circles under his eyes. "I'm sorry," he offered.

The look Satoshi gave him was faintly scolding. "Don't apologize, Niwa."

Before Daisuke could think of something to say other than 'sorry', the sensei cleared her throat.

"Wrap it up, everyone," she warned.

Daisuke grinned at Satoshi, grabbed his stuff, and headed toward his seat. He exchanged greetings with Saehara and sat down, but couldn't help sending one more glance in the commander's direction.

Satoshi was looking back at him. Even though his face was as set and still as ever, Daisuke thought he could see a smile in the blue eyes.

Warmed, he turned back around and prepared for the day.

XXXXX

However, as the day wore on, Satoshi seemed to have less and less energy. He ate even less than usual at lunch, and by the end of the day, Daisuke was getting concerned.

"Maybe I shouldn't come to your place today," he said to Satoshi when the class was dismissed for the day. "You should just go home and get some rest. Besides," his cheeks turned slightly pink, "I don't think I'm helping much right now."

Satoshi shook his head. "No, Niwa. I believe we're getting close to finding an answer. I need your help so we can figure out what's going on before something happens that we can't control."

"But…Krad…"

"That's the other thing," Satoshi told him softly as they walked out of the school. "When he's not fuming about—about yesterday, he's quiet. **Too** quiet, and he's been like that often lately. I think he might know something about all of this, so we need to find what we're looking for before he gets involved."

"All right," Daisuke agreed doubtfully. "But as soon as you get tired, I'm leaving and you're going to bed. This isn't worth getting sick over."

Satoshi looked as though he would argue for a minute, then subsided. "Very well."

Once they settled into their research, however, several hours passed before either boy really noticed. Finally, Daisuke set his book aside and stretched. "I never knew reading could make you so tired."

The commander gave him a wry look. "You should try researching for days on end. Especially on a microfilm reader. The screen will give you a headache in less than an hour."

Daisuke shuddered. "I don't think I'm cut out for this."

Satoshi stood. "I'll go make tea."

"That would be great, thanks," Daisuke responded. As Satoshi disappeared into the kitchen, the redhead gave a little sigh and reached for the next book in the pile. To his surprise, it was the text about the axe that had gotten him into trouble before. He froze.

_Why'd he leave that one out?_ Dark asked curiously.

_I don't know. But I'm not sure if I should touch it,_ Daisuke replied.

_Why not? It'll be his fault for giving it to you. _

Daisuke frowned. _I really don't want to make him mad, Dark. Especially after yesterday. _He sighed, mind turning to other subjects. _I can't believe he's still talking to me._

Dark snorted. _Like he'd ignore you after that. _

_What do you mean?_

_Never mind. Come on, Daisuke, read it,_ he said, returning to the original topic. _ Look at it this way—if he left it out, he either thinks he can trust you with it, or he thinks you wouldn't be stupid enough to look at it again. No matter what, it's a compliment. Of sorts._

A look of puzzlement crossed Daisuke's face. _Do you even listen to yourself?_

Dark huffed, sounding wounded. _Hey, I'll have you know—_

Dark's tirade was interrupted by the sound of a cup breaking. Daisuke frowned and glanced toward the kitchen. "Hiwatari-kun?"

There was no response. Confused, Daisuke stood. "Hiwatari-kun? Do you need a hand?"

Still nothing was said, and Daisuke headed to the kitchen with a feeling of concern. Of course, it was possible Hiwatari-kun hadn't heard him, but…

He stuck his head into the kitchen, but no one was there. The teapot was sitting on a hot pad, cooling, and a shattered mug lay on the floor, but Satoshi was no where to be seen. Then, he heard a scrape of movement behind him.

Daisuke spun around just in time to catch a hand across his face. The blow knocked him backwards onto the floor. "Ah!"

Krad looked down at him disdainfully. "Niwa. You have caused me a great deal of unnecessary trouble these past few days." His eyes narrowed. "Allow me to return the favor."

Before Daisuke could move, Krad gestured, and a crackling magical field surrounded him. It hurt, all over, as though he was being shocked in hundreds of places at once. He gasped, unable to fight back.

Then it stopped, and Krad laughed once. "That was surprisingly easy. Perhaps this ridiculous closeness had a use, after all." He raised his hand again.

This time, Daisuke dodged, sliding past Krad. Then, he was up and running toward the door.

_Daisuke, change into me! Now!_

_I'm…trying,_ Daisuke responded breathlessly. _I'm trying, but it's not working!_

_That __**bastard**_ Dark growled. _He must have drained off some of our magic during that attack. _

_What do you mean—? _

_Not now! Duck!_

Too late, Daisuke tried to avoid the ball of energy hurled at his back. It caught him in the shoulder, sending him onto the floor once again, just a meter from the door. He was easily hauled back to his feet by the blond.

"Don't run from me," Krad mocked with a sneer. With that, he swung a fist, cracking Daisuke viciously on the side of head and making him see stars. Then he dropped him.

Daisuke blinked up at him, trying to focus. "Hiwatari-kun—"

Krad's eyes narrowed. "Satoshi-sama is not your concern, Niwa. He is mine. It would do you well to remember that."

He seized Daisuke by the shirt again and threw him into the living room. The redhead skidded across the table, sending books everywhere, before slamming into the arm of the couch. Dazed, Daisuke lifted a hand to his head. It came away wet with blood.

_Damn you, Krad!_ Dark fairly howled in the back of his mind. _How dare you?!_

The blond strolled into the room, giving his enemy a confident glare. "I greatly resent your presumption, Niwa. Satoshi-sama belongs to me. **Every** Hikari has belonged to me since the day they yanked us away from our home."

Daisuke again tried to run, but his head was still spinning from the collision with the couch, and he tripped over one of the books littering the floor. Krad caught him before he tumbled to the ground, and pulled him close.

"Why do the Niwa insist on taking everything, **everything** that is mine?" he hissed quietly before throwing him across the apartment into a wall. Daisuke groaned and crumpled to the floor in a ball.

_Krad, you coward! _Dark was furiously trying to find a way to transform, but was failing. _Face me and leave the human out of this!_

Krad approached Daisuke slowly. He knelt on one knee on the ground in front of him and took a handful of hair, pulling the boy's head up to face him. "First you take the art…but now you steal my very host from me—and I cannot allow that."

He let go and Daisuke hung his head again, trying desperately to stay conscious. "H-Hiwa…tari-kun…"

Folding his arms, Krad studied him contemptuously. "I had not planned on killing you today, Niwa…but, for some reason, it feels appropriate."

The blond causally flicked a hand, and the energy from before enveloped Daisuke again. Unprepared, the boy screamed. It hurt much worse than earlier, as if he was bleeding from a thousand tiny cuts, all his life, his soul, his energy draining out.

Dark's scream echoed a second after Daisuke's as he felt himself start to fade away under the magical drain.

Trapped within Krad, Satoshi screamed, as well.

And Krad laughed.

Finally, Daisuke could no longer hear the laughter, and he felt the pain lessen as he slipped into blackness.


	58. Chapter 22: December 21

ASN: I know, I know, this is a really short chapter.

AN: So to make up for it—

ASN: And to make up for the absolutely horrible cliffhanger we left you guys with on Thursday—

AN: We'll go ahead and post the next chapter also. Enjoy.

**Chapter 22: December 21**

"**Niwa**!"

Just as Daisuke had stopped moving, Krad had lessened his guard a tiny bit in anticipation of his triumph. In that moment, Satoshi had managed to seize control from Krad, forcing him back into his mind. Krad had made only a token struggle before allowing himself to be corralled, laughing the entire time.

Apparently he thought Satoshi was too late.

Satoshi desperately hoped Krad was wrong as he bent over the smaller boy, frantically trying to staunch some of the bleeding. He yanked his uniform shirt over his head and pressed it to the gash in Daisuke's scalp. "Don't be dead, **please** don't be dead," he murmured as he felt for a pulse.

With great relief, he realized that Daisuke was still breathing—shallowly, but still, he was alive. He gently placed a hand on Daisuke's forehead to try and determine the extent of Krad's magical damage.

Daisuke's magical aura was dangerously faint. In Krad's efforts to destroy Dark by draining Daisuke of the inner magic the thief needed to survive, he'd almost killed them both.

At this point, Dark and Daisuke had been together for so long that Dark's own magic and Daisuke's inner talent had been intertwined. Draining Dark's magic had a similar effect on Daisuke's by draining his life energy.

"Oh, god, Daisuke…" Satoshi's vision blurred slightly at he stared at the unconscious form on his floor, and he angrily wiped the moisture away. He had to do something. He was a Hikari; there had to be **something** he could do.

He knelt on the floor next to Daisuke, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Purely on instinct, he lightly began to trace a sigil on Daisuke's forehead with his fingertip. He was Hikari; there was magic in what he drew. He finished the rune for shielding. "There is life in Hikari art," he whispered. "May that life be used to strengthen his."

The traced lines of the rune glowed dully for a moment before fading. Satoshi couldn't really tell if his makeshift magic had done anything, but Daisuke appeared to be breathing easier.

Daisuke needed help, both magical and medical. And there was only one place that Satoshi knew he would be able to get both.

He hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the phone, dialing a number he never thought he'd use.

It rang four times before a man answered. "Niwa residence."

"Niwa-san…" That was all Satoshi managed to say before his voice caught.

"Who is this?" Kosuke asked, concerned.

"Hiwatari Satoshi," he finally managed to force out.

"Hikari-san? Are you all right?"

Satoshi's hand was shaking. "Daisuke…I—"

"I'll be there in five minutes," Kosuke interrupted simply. There was a click as he hung up.

Satoshi dropped the phone on the counter and returned to Daisuke, stopping by the front door to unlock it first. By now, the bleeding had slowed considerably, but the redhead was still unconscious. Without thinking about it, Satoshi carefully took Daisuke's hand in his and sat next to him silently until the doorbell rang. Before Satoshi could call out, the doorknob turned, and Kosuke entered.

"Hikari-san?"

Satoshi gently set Daisuke's hand back down and stood to face the man. "Niwa-san."

At the sight of his son, Kosuke's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. He just walked over and knelt next to him, checking his pulse and pulling back an eyelid to look for signs of concussion.

He then placed a hand over Daisuke's forehead, performing the same magical examination that Satoshi had done. The rune flared into existence briefly, startling Kosuke, and he cast a glance back at the Hikari. Satoshi looked away, not meeting his eyes.

Kosuke finished his inspection and his brow furrowed in worry. Without a word, he scooped up his son and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry," Satoshi whispered just as Kosuke was walking out.

The man turned around and really looked at him for the first time that evening. "Are you injured, Hikari-san?"

Satoshi gave him a look that was both miserable and somewhat bitter. "I'm fine."

Kosuke nodded and walked out, leaving Satoshi alone in his disarrayed apartment.


	59. Chapter 23: December 22

**Chapter 23: December 22**

Satoshi had spent most of the night trying to clean up his apartment. He'd quit around three o'clock when he realized that one of the books he was putting away had bloodstains on it. At that point, he'd gone to bed…and proceeded to stare at the ceiling until it was time to get up for school.

He dressed slowly, methodically, unsure of why he was even going.

_You just want to see the Niwa boy,_ Krad hissed.

A cold fury bloomed within him as Krad spoke for the first time since the fight. He ignored the curse.

_Why are you so angry with me, Satoshi-sama? I was teaching him a __**much**__ needed lesson. _

_Don't talk to me._ Satoshi's words were hard and edged. _Do __**not**__ talk to me. _

Krad sneered once before retreating to his corner. And as Satoshi finished buttoning his shirt, he dimly wondered if the dismissal had been too easy, but his concern for Daisuke crowded out his other thoughts.

Satoshi locked his apartment behind him and started walking. If Daisuke was at school, then he couldn't have been hurt as badly as Satoshi had feared, and it would be okay.

But he wasn't.

His desk stood empty in the front row. Satoshi didn't even bother to pretend to pay attention to his classes all morning. He just stared at the empty desk with a growing sense of guilt and worry.

Finally, the bell for lunch rang, and Satoshi mechanically stood up, placing his books in his bag. A voice broke into his thoughts.

"Hiwatari!" Saehara came up to him, a worried look on his face. "Do you know where Daisuke is today? Is he sick?"

Slowly, Satoshi shook his head and swallowed hard. "I don't know where he is," he said quietly.

A suspicious look came to Saehara's face. "Surely you would know if he wasn't feeling well?"

"I don't," he repeated.

Saehara shrugged. "He must be sick, then. I just figured that if anybody knew, it would be you."

Satoshi didn't answer. Instead, he shouldered his bag and headed for the door. He could feel Saehara's eyes on him, but he was past the point of caring about anything.

As he walked out of the school, the chill winter wind cut into him. He walked around the courtyard…and just kept walking, leaving the grounds and heading through the gates, cutting school for the first time in his life. He walked down the street, not looking back.

Hikari Satoshi would never enter the school again.

XXXXX

He wandered Azumano for the rest of the afternoon, walking aimlessly as he tried not to think about anything. That worked until he found himself at the park where he and Daisuke had discussed his sketch. The place where he'd first considered the redhead as maybe being something more than a friend…

Suddenly unable to walk any farther, he sat down on the nearest bench. Thoughts and concerns tumbled through his mind, but the one thing that kept surfacing was the fact that no matter how much he tried, everything he touched suffered. Everything he cared about, he destroyed. Just like all Hikari before him.

He didn't carry a curse. He **was** the curse.

A raindrop fell onto his glasses lens. He glanced up at the gray sky as the rain intensified. The sound and taste of it brought back more memories that he really couldn't deal with right now, so he took a deep breath, clearing his mind, and headed back toward his apartment.

Unlocking the door and flicking on the light, he stripped off his dripping jacket. As he hung it up, he studiously avoided looking at the couch where he and Daisuke had been sitting yesterday. Even though all the physical evidence of the blood was gone, Satoshi could still see it. And smell it, that peculiar hot coppery smell…

He shook his head briskly, trying to erase the thoughts from his mind. This was ridiculous. The commander started walking briskly to the kitchen to retrieve some antibacterial cleaning fluid. Its antiseptic odor would cover up anything, real or imagined.

At least, that's what Satoshi meant to do. He wasn't quite sure when he'd decided to call the Niwa, but the phone was in his hand and the numbers dialed before he really realized what he was doing.

"Hello?" came the voice of an exhausted female.

Satoshi's hand tightened on the phone. "Niwa wasn't in school today. I just wondered how he was doing."

Emiko sighed, but then quickly attempted to sound more cheerful. "Oh, he's fine. Just a little sick. He'll back at school tomorrow, probably."

Satoshi closed his eyes in a silent show of relief. He couldn't have been hurt too badly if he would back at school tomorrow.

"I'll tell him you called…what did you say your name was again?" she asked curiously.

The commander winced. "Never mind…I'll talk to him tomorrow." He started to lower the receiver.

"Hikari," he heard her say over the line, even though the receiver was hanging loosely in his hand. He sighed and put the instrument back to his ear.

"Niwa-san?"

"It's you, isn't it," she stated, rather than asked. "Hikari."

"Yes," he said simply.

And Emiko lost it. "How **dare** you call here! This is all your fault! And Daisuke said that you were his friend!"

"It was an accident," Satoshi protested, stung.

"How do you accidentally do that kind of damage to someone?!"

Satoshi frowned in concern. "I thought you said he was okay."

"He almost **died**!" she shrieked.

His knuckles turned white around the phone. "Died?" His voice grew louder. "But you said he was doing fine!"

"I thought you were one of his friends from school! Of course I wasn't going to tell them that a Hikari drained him of his magic so badly he almost lost his life!"

"Is he going to recover?" Satoshi asked, trying to reign in his emotions.

"How dare y—"

"Is he?!" the commander loudly demanded.

"Yes, he's doing a lot better. No thanks to you," she said sullenly. And hung up.

Satoshi held onto the phone until it started beeping at him. He stared at it blankly for a moment, and hung it back up.

It promptly rang again.

Satoshi let it ring, lost in a haze of guilt. _He almost died…_

The phone rang six times before the answer machine beeped and picked it up.

"Hey, Satoshi. It's your father."

The commander turned to stare at the innocuous black box on his desk. His father continued to speak as the machine clicked and continued to tape the message.

"I just wanted to congratulate you. I saw the Niwa boy was actually rushed to the emergency room last night. The doctors didn't know what was wrong, of course, but the symptoms indicate a magic drain." There was a brief pause. "I admit, I never thought you had it in you. And yet, you clearly told me that you knew what you were doing. It was truly a devious plan, Satoshi, luring the boy into trusting you and then attacking."

The commander's stomach lurched.

"Unfortunately, you should have finished him off. Now he'll be suspicious, and that trick won't work again. Still, it was a good plan. I'll talk to you later." Another pause, and then, "I'm proud of you, Satoshi," the man said softly. And hung up.

Satoshi coolly, calmly walked to the bathroom and proceeded to be violently sick.

XXXXX

Emiko slammed the phone back onto the receiver and stood up. How dare he? How **dare** he?

"Who was on the phone?" came a soft voice from behind her. She spun to see Kosuke standing there. The anger in her eyes melted into concern.

"How is he?" she asked anxiously.

"Sleeping," Kosuke replied. "Physically, he's a little bruised and battered, but okay. It might take a few days before his energy is back up to normal, but Dark is helping him heal as best he can." He paused. "Whatever Hikari Satoshi did to help him, it probably saved his life," he added softly.

Emiko snorted. "Since the Hikari was the one responsible for putting him in that state in the first place, you'll have to understand why that doesn't move me very much."

"I don't think he wanted Daisuke hurt," Kosuke said patiently. "If he had wanted him dead, all he would have had to do is let him die. Instead, he gave him some sort of magical aid and summoned us."

Emiko huffed and looked away.

Kosuke paused, eyes narrowing in thought. "Who was on the phone?"

Her gaze snapped back to him. "No one of importance."

"Emiko," he said, gently turning her towards him. "Hikari-san called?"

She sighed and nodded.

"What did you say?"

"He wanted to know how Daisuke was," she said.

"And?" the man pressed.

"Why is this important?" she asked, truly confused.

Kosuke frowned, remembering the teen's guilt-ridden expression from the previous night. "I don't know…but I have a bad feeling about this."


	60. Chapter 24: December 22

**Chapter 24: December 22 **

Satoshi couldn't sleep. He realized that having his thoughts in turmoil was, all in all, a fairly normal and human reason to find sleep elusive. It was much more normal than having the family curse whispering in your head, anyway. However, this sign of apparent normality was not nearly as comforting as it could have been.

With a deep sigh, he threw off the covers and got up. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well spend the time doing something productive.

He made himself a cup of instant tea and wandered into the archives. Satoshi picked a book at random and sat down. It was one he had never read before, a treatise by Hikari Akio, a scientist who had lived in the late nineteenth century. Some of the later Hikari had denounced the man as being mad. The commander shrugged and began to read, pointedly keeping his mind off of Niwa.

As he flipped through the pages, Satoshi found himself growing interested in the man's theories. Hikari Akio's research focused on the more esoteric properties of the magical art pieces. There was an entire section of the book devoted to the Black Wings. Satoshi bent over the pages, intrigued despite the man's so-called madness. He proposed all kinds of seemingly ludicrous premises as to how the Black Wings worked. His hypothesis was that Dark and Krad had not actually been **created** by Hikari Taro. Instead, the Black Wings had acted as a sort of portal to another existence or dimension. The being had been split into two by the interrupted ceremony, but the life that had been summoned to fill the Black Wings had to come from somewhere.

Satoshi paused, staring over the book at nothing. He could clearly see why the man had been regarded as mad. Such a theory would have offended the Hikari. After all, if that was true, then the Hikari had not actually created a work that was alive. The Black Wings, as badly as events had turned out, had still been the greatest work of the Hikari. Life had been created. Instead, Akio hypothesized that all they done was summon a creature from another plane of existence into their work. There had not actually been any creation of life, just a summoning that any third-rate magician could perform.

He turned the page and a sheet of paper slipped from the book. Satoshi picked it up absent-mindedly. It was covered with alchemical symbols. Apparently one of his ancestors had thought Akio's theories intriguing, as well.

The commander pondered. It was an interesting and radical theory. If true, it meant that all of the apparent power of the other Hikari artworks had to be re-evaluated. How much of their magic was due to the magic that the Hikari gave it, and how much was due to the influence of creatures from another plane? His frown deepened as he considered the Towa no Shirube. She clearly had a personality all of her own, one he could not seriously envision a Hikari creating deliberately.

And Daisuke had said that she had called Dark 'a prince in their world.'

What 'world?'

And then there was Krad's comment about the Hikari pulling him and Dark out of their home.

Intrigued, Satoshi bent his head back to the pages, impatiently seeking more information. To his irritation, very little else was said. Akio merely posed the theory and moved on. Instead, the man continued in a different tangent, reiterating the history of the Hikari-Niwa feud and the creation of the Black Wings before beginning a section on how he believed that it was possible to seal one consciousness into the Black Wings—

Heart racing, Satoshi made himself stop and read that line again.

"But I believe that there is another way. I believe that it is possible to seal one of the current curse's consciousnesses into the Black Wings instead of creating a new unknown consciousness as a merge of Dark and Krad. If one of the halves becomes unbalanced in power, it is entirely possible that that half's conscious will be strong enough to overpower the other. In that case, one consciousness, either Krad or Dark, would have the power of the combined Black Wings at his command. Of course, since the two halves would be unbalanced, it is equally likely that a catastrophic magical backlash will occur, with enough power to level approximately 6.8 square kilometers from the epicenter. This premise is entirely theoretical, since the only way for one of the halves to become that much more powerful than the other would be for one half to acquire a magical artifact of great power. The only artifacts that are currently known to be powerful enough are, of course, the Black Wings, which is too large for one half to physically hold, and—"

The priceless book slipped from Satoshi's nerveless fingers and fell to the floor. It landed in an open position, and the handwritten words seemed to mock him from the yellowed pages.

"And the fabled Taro axe, the Edge of Sorrows."

XXXXX

Satoshi sat on the edge of his chair, events and happenings from the past few months coming together with a sense of sickening certainty.

That was why Krad had been so adamant about the Niwa not finding the axe.

Krad wanted the axe for himself.

And Krad could do it. He clearly understood the ritual that Hikari Akio had so dutifully inscribed in his book. The page of scribbled alchemical code that Satoshi had thought to be an ancestor's had to be the curse's notes.

Krad could defeat Dark, overpower his consciousness, and have the power of the Black Wings at his disposal.

Or a magical explosion could occur and wipe out a good section of Azumano.

Either way, people would die.

If Krad won the power of the Black Wings, the first thing he would do would be to exterminate the Niwa.

_Daisuke…_

'It's your fault!' he heard Emiko scream in his mind. Her accusations rang over and over. 'He almost died he almost died he almost died he died he died he died….'

An anguished scream.

"No!" Satoshi shot up. He wouldn't be responsible for Daisuke's death. He would stop Krad.

In the only way he knew how.

Decision made, he briskly walked to the small storeroom where he kept his meager stock of art supplies, yanking on the cord to the dangling light bulb overhead. He had to do this before Krad woke up. As soon as he awoke, the curse would know that Satoshi knew, and Satoshi was in no condition to keep him from taking over.

But more importantly, he was the only person alive who knew where the axe was.

Krad could not obtain that knowledge.

With a rising sense of urgency, he searched through the dusty boxes until he found his palette knife.

His kitchen knives had dulled from years of disuse. This one, on the other hand, he had maintained. He held the palette knife up, and the blade shone sharp in the dim glow of the 40-watt bulb.

_What are you thinking about, Satoshi-sama? Your thoughts have never been so chaotic,_ Krad said as he snapped awake

Satoshi immediately blanked his mind.

Too late.

His thoughts had been in turmoil, and that glance was more than enough to tell Krad what was going on. The curse immediately started battering at Satoshi's psychic protections.

_This is for the best, Satoshi-sama_, he said persuasively even as he smashed against Satoshi's barriers. _This is the only way to defeat Dark. _

_The object of defeating Dark was to get rid of you, not make you stronger_, Satoshi retorted with gritted teeth as he tried to push Krad back into unconsciousness.

_Get rid of me? I'm hurt. I've made my feelings for you obvious, Satoshi-sama, and you push me away. _

Satoshi actually laughed shortly. _You don't give a damn about me. You've made that __**very**__ obvious._

_The Hikari are mine by birthright. You brought me into this plane. I deserve something for my loss, and I want you. _The curse noticed the knife for the first time. _Getting desperate, Satoshi-sama? Are you really that afraid of me that you'll give up so easily?_

_I want this to end_. _That's all. _ Satoshi responded as he had to shift his energy from offense to shoring up his defenses.

_No, that's not all,_ Krad said softly. _You know about the plan, and you know something… Something you don't want me to know…_

Satoshi felt a sudden stab of pain as Krad breached one of his defenses, trying for the first time to probe his deepest memories and hidden secrets.

Images flashed through his head as Krad waded through the innermost portion of his mind, the places no one ever saw. Memories of his childhood at a succession of boarding schools, the nightmares, his hatred and unconscious, unexplainable fear of Hiwatari Kei, and then there was Daisuke. More and more images of Daisuke, laughing, running, talking, the look in his eyes when the redhead gazed at him, the feel of his kiss...

And finally, one of Satoshi's deepest memories—that of an axe passed down through generations. An axe that had to be kept safe, at all costs, for reasons never explained. And what was safer than his own apartment where Satoshi could watch over it?

Krad pulled out of his memories with a jerk, shocked for a moment into inaction.

Satoshi took advantage of that moment of inattention to take the palette knife and slash open his wrists.

XXXXX

"Daisuke?" Kosuke cautiously entered his son's darkened room. He walked over to the bed and stepped up on the ladder. "Daisuke?"

"Yeah?" the redhead croaked sleepily, raising his head from the pillow. He looked exhausted, with dark circles clearly evident under his eyes.

Kosuke hesitated. "I need to talk to you about Hikari Satoshi."

Daisuke immediately sat up. "Dad…what's wrong?"


	61. Chapter 25: December 22

ASN: Thank you all for the reviews.

AN: It means a lot to us to know that you all care so much about the story and what happens next.

ASN: So here's the next chapter, and I promise this one doesn't have a cliffhanger ending. Enjoy!

**Chapter 25: December 22**

Krad put the finishing touches on the bandages and stood up. Luckily, he managed to take control before Satoshi had allowed himself to bleed to death, though he'd had to use a considerable amount of magic to slow the bleeding and boost the healing process. The impudent boy had quite efficiently managed to slice open both arteries all the way up the lower arms.

Not only that, he had used more power to force himself free than he'd ever had to use before, yet Satoshi still wasn't unconscious. The teen was locked inside Krad's mind, banging away furiously on Krad's own psychic protections.

"Now, now, Satoshi-sama," he said reprovingly. "Stop struggling so. It's not dignified."

_**Fuck you!**_

Krad scowled as he picked up his scribbled notes on the ceremony. He made a small notation. _It is becoming quite clear that you are not going to live up to my expectations of the perfect Hikari, Satoshi-sama._

_You cannot keep me locked away forever, _Satoshi said heatedly, although regaining some semblance of control. _I __**will**__ take my body back, and when I do, I __**will**__ die and you will be finished. And you cannot complete any magical ceremony as complicated as Hikari Akio's by yourself with me resisting every step of the way. _

The curse's scowl deepened, and he walked through the apartment to lay his notes on the coffee table. _You are, unfortunately, correct._

_You have lost, Krad, _Satoshi said with a small measure of satisfaction._ I'm the last Hikari, and I'm as good as dead to you. You have no further hosts. _

And then, the blond hunter smiled as walked into the bedroom and the commander felt a chill. _Not yet._

All of Satoshi's feelings of satisfaction faded. _What?_

Krad pulled on a clean long-sleeved shirt. _At least Dark has proven himself useful. If he can beget a child on a human woman…then so can I._

Satoshi's blood ran cold.

The curse dressed in some of Satoshi's street clothes rather than his own archaic coat and ruffled shirt. When he finished, he looked like a fairly normal young adult, albeit one with very long blond hair. _Perhaps it is time to cut my losses with you, Satoshi-sama, and wait for the next generation. Perhaps your son, or grandson, will be a little more…malleable. _

With a final flip to his hair, Krad walked out of the apartment to go looking for a girl.

Satoshi, trapped within him, wondered quite seriously if he **had** succeeded in killing himself and was now in hell.

XXXXX

"He's not answering his phone," Daisuke said worriedly as he hung up. Kosuke leaned forward on his son's couch, his face a mask of worry to match Daisuke's.

"Mom really told him that this was his fault?" the teen asked.

Kosuke nodded wordlessly.

"I don't think Hiwatari-kun would have taken that well," he said apprehensively. The redhead swayed slightly and quickly sat down next to his father.

"What do we do?" he asked miserably.

_We need to go look for him,_ Dark said with surprising gravity.

_Dark…_

_Daisuke, it's almost midnight. Hiwatari wouldn't have gone anywhere this late unless __**we**__ were doing something, and we're not, and if he was there, he would have picked up the phone when he heard you on the answering machine. Something is very wrong. _

Daisuke looked up at his father. "I have to go look for him," he said seriously.

Kosuke nodded. "Let's go, then."

Dark cleared his throat. _If I may make a recommendation…_

XXXXX

Daisuke banged on Satoshi's apartment door for several minutes before finally simply picking open the lock. A quick survey of the spartan quarters established that Satoshi was not there.

However, there was a copious amount of blood on the floor. Fresh blood.

"Oh, god…Hiwatari-kun…"

"He's not here, Daisuke. Do you have any idea where he could have gone?" Kosuke asked firmly, taking his son by the shoulders and forcing the boy to look at him instead of the blood.

He shook his head mutely.

"He's not here," Towa said distantly. "He was gone before he ever left."

_I told you it was a good idea to bring her!_ Dark said triumphantly.

_Then what does she mean?_ Daisuke asked.

_How should I know? She's the guide, not me._

"Towa, perhaps a 'right' or 'left' would be best," Kosuke said gently.

"He went downstairs, and then left towards downtown," she said with conviction, and started walking.

The Niwa followed.

XXXXX

Krad was getting frustrated. Satoshi was ceaseless in his attempts to regain control, recklessly spending his energy pounding against Krad's defenses. As a result, Krad had to expend more magic than he wanted to keep the teen controlled.

In addition, he was unused to having to flatter females. As much as he hated to do so, he began to copy Dark's mannerisms. It physically sickened him to use Dark's smiles and gestures, but his very existence was at stake. And so, Krad stood in the middle of a group of young women, all of whom seemed to be in various stages of inebriation. He flattered and complimented, speaking soft words and hinting at unspoken promises. As the women started to respond and Satoshi continued to flail uselessly in his mind, Krad brushed back his blond ponytail and began to cautiously relax.

And then he felt him. That tiny spark of electricity that was Dark. He whirled and saw the Niwa. Krad cursed inwardly. The boy had not yet seen him, but he was between Krad and the exit.

And suddenly, a thought struck Krad and a feral smile briefly crossed his face. After all, there was more than one way to destroy his enemy.

He extricated himself from the group of disappointed girls and slipped into the men's room.

XXXXX

"Are you sure Hiwatari-kun's in here?" Daisuke shouted over the loud, pounding music.

Towa simply nodded, not bothering to attempt to make herself heard.

_Why would Hiwatari be in a nightclub, especially one as wild as this?_ Dark asked, confused.

Daisuke shrugged as he looked around. Most of the patrons appeared to be in various stages of drunkenness, and the loud music made his head hurt. A lot of the patrons were females, young and pretty and dressed fairly provocatively.

It was a sure sign of Dark's agitation that he ignored them all.

And then, through the blue haze of cigarette smoke, Daisuke saw a flash of pale hair in the back. "Hiwatari-kun!" He shoved his way through the mass of dancers. In between people, he could see saw Satoshi talking to someone. When he finally emerged from the pack of gyrating dancers, somewhat mussed and slightly panting, Daisuke staggered up to his friend. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and Satoshi turned around and stared at him impersonally.

The very attractive girl he'd been talking with glared at the redhead for interrupting.

"Yes, Niwa?" Satoshi asked coolly.

"I—" The words stuck in his throat. "I was worried about you. You called me, and then when I tried to call back you weren't there…" Daisuke's voice drifted off.

Satoshi shrugged. "I had to get out of the apartment for a while." His expression hardened. "Why are you here?"

"I was worried," Daisuke said again.

The commander stepped back, shrugging Daisuke's hand off his shoulder. "As you can see, I am fine."

Daisuke frowned, and then his expression grew concerned as he remembered. "There was blood all over your apartment, Hiwatari-kun. Did you hurt yourself?"

Satoshi sighed deeply. "I am fine, Niwa. I was fine before you got here, and I will be fine after you leave."

The girl smiled at that, and reached out to take Satoshi's hand. He shot her a brief annoyed glance, but didn't pull away.

"I…I don't understand," Daisuke said slowly, looking back and forth at the two.

"Go home, Niwa," Satoshi said coldly. "I will talk to you later."

And he turned his back on him.

Daisuke stared at the back of his white jacket for a moment, and then turned away as well.

_Where do you think you're going?_ Dark demanded.

_He doesn't want me here…he told me to go home,_ Daisuke said dully.

_And you __**believed**__ him? There is something seriously wrong here. This doesn't feel right._

Daisuke shrugged and looked back over his shoulder. Satoshi was standing next to the girl, whispering in her ear. They made a rather striking couple, since she was all in black and he was all in white.

_Quit it with the self-pity and get off your sorry ass and go back! _Dark ordered. _Find out what's wrong with him. _

_I..._ And then Daisuke stopped dead in his tracks, a horrible realization coming to mind. He turned around and dashed back across the floor to Satoshi.

The taller teen turned around as Daisuke approached, eyes narrowing angrily. "Niwa," he said warningly.

Daisuke looked back at him coolly. "I thought you said you never wore white."

The ice-blue eyes went wide for a second, and turned yellow and slitted.

_Oh shit, _Dark gasped. _It's Krad, it's Krad in Hiwatari's body!_

And the recognition must have shown in Daisuke's face, because Krad immediately changed back into his own form and threw a large ball of energy straight at Daisuke.

He dodged, and the ball exploded in a corner of the crowded room, sending some unfortunate dancers flying. Screams rang out, and people immediately started running for the exits. People were shoving and pushing, and Daisuke simply didn't have the energy to fight his way out. He stood and faced the blond curse unflinchingly.

Another ball of crackling light appeared in Krad's hands. "Good-bye, little Niwa," he hissed.

And then there was a large thwack as Kosuke hit him from behind with a leg from a broken chair.

Krad snarled in rage and turned to face the older man, but Dark, transforming even as he moved, jumped on him from behind, wrapping the blond in a chokehold.

"Say goodnight, Krad," the thief whispered, applying pressure.

The curse started to say something, but then his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the floor, changing back into a pale-haired teenager on the way down.

Dark brushed his hands off, feeling quite pleased with himself. "Thanks for the help there, Kosuke, couldn't have done it without ya."

Kosuke nodded, smiling slightly. "Shouldn't we get out of here before the authorities arrive?"

"Probably," Dark agreed, picking up the unconscious Hikari as if he weighed less than nothing. And as he did so, he noticed a large splotch of red on the end of one of his sleeves.

He pulled back the sleeve to reveal a large, blood-stained bandage circling Hiwatari's lower arm. With a bit of apprehension, the thief flicked back the other sleeve. Sure enough, a matching bandage appeared around that arm.

_Hiwatari-kun! _Daisuke's voice sounded anguished.

The thief's face hardened. "We should probably take him back with us."

Upon seeing the bandages, Kosuke agreed.

"Emiko won't like it," Dark warned.

"Emiko will deal with it," Kosuke said simply as he led the way to the car.


	62. Chapter 26: December 23

**Chapter 26: December 23**

Satoshi woke up with a pounding headache. He sat up slowly, carefully holding his head as the world spun slightly around him. Something seemed off, somehow. When he got his eyes to focus at last, he realized what it was.

He wasn't in his apartment.

He was in Daisuke's bed.

He looked down suddenly, remembering the events of last night. He was still wearing the clothes from last night, but his arms had been rebandaged. And this time, they appeared to be wrapped with much greater skill than Krad had shown.

The commander scooted towards the edge of the bed and carefully felt his way down the ladder.

"Feeling better?" came a soft voice. Satoshi actually jumped slightly as Kosuke rose from the couch where he had been reading. He walked towards the boy, a look of deep concern on his face. "Daisuke's been very worried."

Satoshi nodded slowly. "Why am I here?"

"We're taking care of you," Kosuke replied with a slightly quizzical smile. "Is that quite all right with you, Hikari-san?"

With a sudden sense of foreboding, Satoshi cast in his mind for Krad…and found him sleeping deeply.

"That's probably due to that," Kosuke said amiably, pointing to a small ridged ring on Satoshi's right hand.

Satoshi cast a suspicious gaze at the older man for apparently reading his mind. "What is it?" he asked.

"A rutile, of a sort," Kosuke said. "It will keep your other half sealed and sleeping for a while…but it's only temporary. The magic will eventually wear out, and you'll have to battle for control again."

Satoshi stared at him. "Where did you find this…and why are you giving it to me?"

Kosuke opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a flying flash of red hair.

"Hiwatari-kun! You're awake!"

Daisuke came to a screeching halt right in front of the taller boy. He stared up at him and smiled. "I'm glad you're okay. You looked pretty bad last night when we brought you home."

"Yes, thank you for your assistance," Satoshi said formally, bowing slightly to Kosuke. And staggering as he tried to straighten.

Daisuke caught him and held him for a second. "Are you okay?" he asked, worry clouding the amber eyes.

Satoshi slowly nodded. "Yes."

Daisuke released him and stood back.

There was a slight movement at the stairs as Kosuke discreetly made his way out of the room.

With a frown, Daisuke motioned Satoshi towards the couch. "You should probably sit down, Hiwatari-kun. Dad hit you—well, **him**, pretty hard last night."

Since his head still pounded, Satoshi sat without arguing. Daisuke, who was paler than normal himself, sat next to him.

"What happened after you called here, Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

Satoshi saw the redhead's eyes stray to the bandages, and he sighed. "I was doing some research and I found some very dangerous information."

"Dangerous enough to call for that?" Daisuke asked solemnly with a jerk of his head at the bandages.

The commander closed his eyes. "Krad found a way to use the Edge of Sorrows to make him the only one half who survives in the Black Wings. If it works, then Dark will be gone forever and Krad will be unstoppable with the power of the Black Wings behind him."

He opened them to see Daisuke turn dead white. "What happens if it doesn't work?"

"Then about two-thirds of Azumano explodes in the magical backlash," Satoshi said simply.

Daisuke was silent for a moment. "Dark wants to know if you're certain."

Satoshi cast him a hard glance. "I wouldn't take such—permanent action if I wasn't certain."

The redhead nodded agreement, then brightened slightly as a thought came to him. "Oh well. At least no one knows where the axe is…" His voice trailed off as he stared at Satoshi. "You know where it is, don't you?"

"And so does Krad," Satoshi acknowledged.

Daisuke sighed deeply. "So how do we stop it?"

Satoshi smiled a strange, bitter smile. "We stop it by killing me."

"No!" Daisuke shot up from the sofa. "How can you even say that?!"

Satoshi sat back and tried to keep his voice calm as he ticked off the points on his fingers. "If I am dead, Krad will disappear for now. And actually, since I am the last Hikari, Krad will never come back again. No one else gets hurt. No one else dies." He paused. "Did anyone die last night?"

Daisuke sighed deeply. "It's not your fault, Hiwatari-kun…"

"How many?" Satoshi asked faintly.

"One died in Krad's blast," Daisuke said a distant voice. "And another was trampled in the rush for the exits."

"Thank you," Satoshi said simply, his voice not betraying the pain he felt. He was so tired of it all, so damn tired… "As I was saying, if I die now, before the rutile wears off and Krad can stop me again, then no one else dies because of me and my clan." He stopped for a moment, gazing at the redhead. "It's the only way, Niwa," he said gently.

"No!" Daisuke protested, actually pressing his hands to his ears so he wouldn't have to listen. "I can't believe you're considering this."

"You have to let me do this, Niwa-kun," Satoshi said quietly, an infinite sadness present in the depth of his eyes. "This is the only way this can end. If I live, then the cycle continues. Any Hikari in the future will be cursed, the same as me. I won't let that happen."

"You can't just give up," Daisuke protested angrily.

"I'm not giving up!" Satoshi retorted, stung. "I'm ending this the only way I know how, the only way that prevents other innocents from suffering."

"But there might be another way," the redhead said desperately.

"I can't take that risk," Satoshi said softly. He looked up at the furiously pacing boy in front of him. "I almost killed you, Niwa-kun," he whispered.

"No, **Krad** almost killed me. It wasn't you," Daisuke said instantly, moving close to Satoshi and taking his hand.

"Krad has to be stopped," Satoshi said with utter conviction. "That is something I am willing to give my life for."

Daisuke let go of his hand and started pacing again. "What about those that care about you?" he asked bitterly. "Do they get a say in what you decide?"

"Who?" Satoshi laughed shortly. "My 'father' doesn't really care if I live or die, as long as Dark is captured. There is no one who would care."

"Satoshi…" Daisuke whispered, dropping to his knees in front of the seated teen, "I care. Don't do this. Please don't die. You're the only one I can talk to, the only one who really understands me." Unshed tears shimmered in his eyes. "Please, Satoshi."

"But it has to stop," Satoshi weakly protested.

"We'll find another way," Daisuke said with soft assurance. "Promise me you won't try to kill yourself again."

"Niwa," Satoshi whispered. "Please, try to understand…"

"**Promise me**!" the redhead said intensely, leaning forward and taking Satoshi's hands.

With the deep exhale of one who knows that he has just utterly screwed himself, Satoshi nodded. "I promise."

With a sigh of relief and something that sounded suspiciously like a small sob, Daisuke threw his arms around him and held him like he'd never let him go. And Satoshi felt something hot pricking his eyes, and leaned forward, wrapping his own arms around the smaller boy. "I promise, Daisuke."

XXXXX

The two came slowly down the stairs, leaning on each other for support. As they approached the bottom, Kosuke jumped up and offered a hand to Satoshi. He looked at it oddly, and Kosuke smoothly swung the gesture towards Daisuke, who accepted it gratefully. Using his father for added support, the redhead managed the rest of the stairs and turned to help Satoshi.

"Tea?" Towa offered timidly once they had all settled in the living room. Daisuke took the drink with a wan smile, and Satoshi did the same, holding it for the warmth.

Looking around at all the waiting faces, Satoshi steadied himself. This was his last chance; there were no other opportunities at this point. He didn't trust Hiwatari Kei as far as he could throw him, and the only ones in Azumano who had sufficient magical knowledge to be of assistance were the Niwa.

He didn't have anywhere else to go.

"There's a problem," he began without further deliberation. "Krad has found a way to trap Dark and assume the full power of the Black Wings for himself—and I'm unsure of how exactly to stop him."

They all carefully considered the information for a moment, and then they began asking questions.

"What did Krad find?" Kosuke asked, steepling his fingers.

"He has discovered, as far as I can tell, how to ensure that he and he alone will assume control of the Black Wings when it is unsealed," Satoshi said. "Presumably, Dark would be either trapped somewhere or killed, and Krad would be free to do as he pleased with the Black Wing's power at his disposal."

"Do you know how?" Daiki said next. "Did you find a ceremony or something that he planned to follow?"

Satoshi took a deep breath. "As far as I can tell, if Krad was able to come into possession of the Edge of Sorrows, he would strong enough to defeat Dark. In that case, he would either be too powerful then to be stopped…or the unbalance of magic would destroy most of the city."

Emiko frowned. "The Edge of Sorrows…the axe? If he finds the axe, he could win?"

"That's correct."

"I read that the axe was really powerful," Daisuke added. "So powerful that it was hidden from the majority of the Hikari so only a select few would know of its whereabouts."

"So, it's truly lost?" Kosuke queried with a frown. "If it is, there is little chance of Krad finding it before us—"

"It's not lost," Satoshi said with a brief shake of his head. "I know where it is…and that means he does, too."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Can we go get it?" Daisuke asked.

Satoshi nodded. "It would probably be best to get it now, before Krad awakens again."

Kosuke nodded and stood up from his spot on the couch. "I'll get the car." He paused. "Where is the Edge of Sorrows hidden, Hikari-san?"

Satoshi closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "My apartment."

"What?!"

Daiki advanced on the boy, shaking his head. "You've been keeping the most powerful Hikari artwork save the Black Wings itself in your **apartment**?"

"This way I could keep an eye on it," Satoshi said simply.

"In any case," Kosuke said, "You should probably come, too, Hikari-san. I assume it's protected?"

"Yes," Satoshi said. "Should any hint of magic except Hikari magic appear around the axe, the consequences would be…unfortunate." He rose from the couch and swayed slightly.

Daisuke immediately shot up and placed an arm around him. "Maybe I should come too."

Emiko stood as well. "You're injured, Dai-chan."

He shot his mother a look. "So's Hiwatari-kun, and he's going."

"Yes, but it's **his** apartme—" She sighed, giving up. "Fine."

Daiki turned and walked back to his room.

"Where are you going, Dad?" Emiko asked.

"To change. I'm going with them."

"Why?" she said in frustration.

He turned and fixed a stare at this daughter. "Daisuke's hurt, and Kosuke is many things, but he is not a Niwa."

Emiko's mouth set in a thin line. "Fine." She swept out of the room.

Satoshi stared after her. "Is my presence here going to be a problem?" he asked softly.

Daisuke sighed, clearly uncomfortable. "She'll be okay."

Satoshi let the matter drop and followed Daisuke to the Niwa's old car.

XXXXX

The journey to his apartment was made in silence. Kosuke drove, and Daiki sat up front with him. Satoshi sat in the back with Daisuke and silently wondered about the fact that Kosuke didn't need directions to get to the apartment building. But then, he hadn't needed directions when he came to get Daisuke, either.

Apparently the adage 'know thine enemy' was followed by the Niwa as well as the Hikari.

Satoshi led the way up the stairs to his apartment, and was silently gratified to note that his keys still remained in his pocket. After the previous night, he wouldn't have been too surprised if his keys had disappeared in the chaos.

He pushed open the door…and stopped dead in the doorway.

The apartment had been ransacked.

Books and papers lay strewn over the floor, and the entire contents of his desk had been thrown to the ground.

The Niwa crowded behind him. "What happened, Hiwatari-kun?" Daisuke asked.

Satoshi didn't answer, just shook his head. He took a small, hesitant step in, and then another more quickly, and then another until he was almost running to the back room, heart pounding as he instinctively knew and dreaded what he would find.

He yanked open the door to see his chair with the broken wing lying on the floor. It was mostly intact, but a large axe-shaped hole had been made in the chair's back.

Daisuke appeared behind him, Kosuke close behind. "I take it that was the axe's hiding place," the older man said simply.

Satoshi nodded, thoughts racing. He ran over the events of the previous night in his mind. "I don't understand," he said slowly. "I was awake for the entire time Krad was in control. There wasn't enough time for Krad to get the axe and hide it somewhere else." He stepped forward and held his hand over the wreckage of the chair. "And the defenses weren't tripped."

"What does that mean?" Daisuke asked, brow furrowed.

'That means that whoever took it either was a Hikari, which can probably be ruled out, since we know it wasn't Hikari-san," Kosuke said with a slight nod to Satoshi, "Or the person simply had no strong magic to speak of. A normal person with no inherent magic wouldn't have set off the defenses." He turned to Satoshi. "Is it possible that it simply got stolen? By a normal thief?" he hastened to add.

"My apartment is fairly secure," Satoshi said, deep in thought. "It has to be."

Kosuke shot a look at his son. Daisuke looked uncomfortable.

Luckily, the other teen didn't notice. He frowned and went out the main room. Daiki was there, gathering the fallen papers into neat stacks. Satoshi walked right up to him. "Did you happen to see a paper covered with alchemical notes?"

The older man frowned. "No. These have all been about artworks."

Satoshi cast a second look at the coffee table. "None of my books or electronics are gone, which seems to rule out a normal burglary. However, Krad's notes about the ceremony are missing as well."

"Is it possible that Krad may have had an…ally, of sorts? A human ally?" Kosuke ventured.

The commander frowned. "Very few people really know of his existence, and there is no one that is powerful enough that could help him in any case except…" His mouth suddenly went dry as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. "Hiwatari Kei."

Daisuke's eyes grew wide. "Isn't that…"

"Yes," Satoshi said, face hardening. "My guardian."


	63. Chapter 27: December 23

**Chapter 27: December 23**

Satoshi called his father's house, his office, and the police station, though he knew it was going to be useless. Sure enough, each time he got a servant or rookie officer who informed him that no, his father wasn't in; no, they hadn't seen him all day; no, they'd didn't know where he was; and no, he hadn't left any messages, good day.

While he was on the phone, Kosuke and Daiki decided between themselves that it was too dangerous for Satoshi to remain at his apartment, since Hiwatari had a key and could return at any time. They had packed up the most important and priceless of the Hikari archives and some of Satoshi's clothes to take back with them to the Niwa house before Satoshi could think up a good enough reason to say no.

If the father and grandfather were anything like Daisuke, Satoshi rather doubted the Niwa would have taken 'no' for an answer in any case.

And so Hikari Satoshi again sat on the Niwas' couch, seeking refuge in the house of his historic enemies.

He could almost hear his ancestors howling in protest.

"Hikari-san?"

Satoshi jerked his head up. "I'm sorry?"

Kosuke smiled at him in apparent understanding. "I was asking if you knew what Hiwatari was going to do with the axe."

"I don't know," Satoshi said with a small shake of his head and then a wince at the pain the movement caused. "He could unseal the Black Wings, although I certainly hope he would not be that foolish. Without Krad, however, the ceremony to put Krad's consciousness in control of the Black Wings could not be started."

"Why is he helping Krad?" Daiki asked in concern.

"I don't know," Satoshi said simply. "He wants Dark destroyed. Perhaps he believes this is the best way to do so."

"You have no idea where he is? You didn't learn anything on the phone?"

"No."

"Is Krad going to go to him when the rutile wears out and he takes control back from you?" Daisuke asked, worry permeating his voice.

Satoshi closed his eyes, thinking of his promise. "Probably, unless we find a way to stop him."

"What can we do?" Emiko asked at last.

"I don't know," Satoshi admitted. "If Krad manages to use the axe to finish the ceremony to put his life and his consciousness into the Black Wings, he would be unstoppable. Even if he couldn't separate himself and Dark, their combined power in the Black Wings would make the Black Wings impossible to seal again."

Kosuke held up a hand. "I thought…I had read somewhere, once, that it was believed that the axe could be used to complete the original ceremony."

"What do you mean?" Daisuke looked a little confused. "Are you talking about the first time, when they tried to bring the Black Wings to life?"

"I know what you're referring to," Satoshi responded. "You saw one of Hikari Taro's statements."

"That's right." Kosuke ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "Maybe, if we tried—"

"Unlikely," Satoshi said with a sigh. "Hikari Taro was mad, Niwa-san…Krad drove him insane."

All the Niwa looked faintly shocked.

"I believe, if what you read is the same entry I'm thinking of, that Taro stated he believed the axe could be used to seal the Black Wings. Yes?"

Kosuke nodded.

Satoshi sat back, crossing his arms as he pondered. "He said the axe could be used to complete the original awakening ceremony. When un-sealed, the Black Wings would draw upon all the power inherent in Hikari artwork, and end up pulling the two halves to it. Taro suggested using the axe to seal Dark and Krad into the Black Wings, and then find a banishing ceremony to get rid of the creature, binding it forever and rendering it basically inactive."

"Wouldn't that work?" Emiko asked. "It sounds like a sound theory."

"Unfortunately, while it is possible to use the axe to complete the Black Wings, there has never been a banishing ceremony strong enough to defeat it," Satoshi told her. "Taro was rambling…it's impossible."

"Actually…"

Everyone turned to look at Kosuke. He shrugged.

"I think I may know of a ceremony," he said quietly.

XXXXX

Kosuke spread the old parchment out on the table, pushing the teacup out of his way absent-mindedly. Satoshi bent over it. "Where did you find this?" he asked.

"An old monastery tucked away in the hills of Germany," Kosuke replied. "It hadn't been used or even looked at for centuries. When I told them what I was searching for, they were actually happy to have me take it off their hands."

Satoshi studied it. "I'm…not certain on the translation…"

"It's written in an odd dialect of German, but it gives the set-up for the ceremony, including all the required circles needed," Kosuke said, pointing to the first section. "This is the incantation, here…and this is what materials are required for certain points in the ritual."

"What materials?" Emiko asked suspiciously.

"It requires the blood of a member of each family," Kosuke said. "Since this involves both the Hikari and the Niwa, the ceremony requires blood from both families."

Satoshi nodded. "Understandable."

"It should be doable," Kosuke continued. "However, the energy required would take at least four family members. One for each of the four elements."

"What's this?" Daisuke asked, pointing to a line at the bottom.

Kosuke looked briefly uncomfortable. "Well—"

"It's the mention of a price," Satoshi said upon closer examination.

Daiki and Emiko both cast glares at Kosuke. "What **price**?"

"Um…" Kosuke ran a hand through his hair. "It doesn't specifically say. All it translates to is 'A price must be paid and the consequences are unknown.'"

"I don't think this is a good idea," Emiko replied instantly. "Surely there's something else we can do."

"I'm sorry, Niwa-san," Satoshi said quietly, "But as far as I know, this seems to be the only ceremony that would do what we require."

A frown crossed her face.

"Emiko." Kosuke laid a hand on her shoulder. "We don't have time. This has to be done."

She took a sip of tea. "I don't like it."

Satoshi sat back in his seat, and couldn't help but gasp slightly as a wave of dizziness hit him. Daisuke laid a hand on his arm, but he shook it off. "I'm fine."

Emiko stared at him for a moment, and an odd expression crossed her face. "Towa-chan?" she called suddenly. "Would you mind making a batch of your special tea for the boys?"

"Of course!" Towa chirped, jumping up. "I'll get right on it."

Satoshi recognized a peace offering when he saw one. He nodded once.

"Fine," she said, turning back to Kosuke. "When can we do it?"

"As soon as—wait." He turned to look at Satoshi. "We can't do it without the Edge of Sorrows."

A look of consternation crossed Satoshi's face. "We need to unseal the Black Wings before we can do this ceremony, so we can seal Dark and Krad into it…and that requires the axe."

Daisuke glanced at Kosuke, then Satoshi. "Are you saying we can't do anything until your father does?"

"This is unfortunate," Satoshi said softly.

"Now what?" Daiki asked. "Do we wait until Hiwatari unseals the Black Wings?"

"Either that, or we wait until Krad takes control and goes to him," Satoshi replied. "No matter what, we don't really have a choice. We can only react to whatever happens next."

"In your opinion, when would Hiwatari try unsealing the Black Wings, if he would?" Kosuke inquired.

Satoshi considered everything he knew about Krad's plan. "I would say tomorrow night, but I'm not sure."

"Can we just have everything ready for the ceremony?" Emiko suggested. "When the Black Wings are unsealed, we'll have everything as prepared beforehand as possible. We can set up somewhat now, and just have the rest ready to go."

"That might work," Kosuke agreed thoughtfully. "Where would we set up?"

"The closer to the Black Wings, the better," Satoshi commented. "The ceremony would be more effective that way."

"So…where is the Black Wings?" Emiko asked innocently.

He looked at her incredulously. "I cannot believe you asked me that…Niwa-san."

She crossed her arms. "Well, we need to know…Hikari."

There was a brief silence as Satoshi and Emiko studied each other. Finally, Satoshi sighed. "It's at the Central Art Museum."

Kosuke raised an eyebrow. "The Central Art Museum? Hikari-san, that's not—"

Satoshi shook his head. "I know that it seems unlikely, but the Black Wings has been hidden down in the basement for decades. The room is…rented, for lack of a better term. An anonymous donation is given to the museum each month, and every new museum curator is told in fairly graphic detail what will occur if he ever approaches the room."

Daisuke blinked at him. "Isn't that a little extreme?"

"The last time the museum received a new curator was before I was born," Satoshi replied.

"So, the Black Wings is at the Museum," Kosuke mused out loud. "Well, that means it should be relatively easy to wait for Hiwatari to make his move, as long as we get everything set up in the next day or so."

"Wait." Daiki held up a hand, looking troubled. "Something just came to me."

"What is it?" Kosuke asked.

"We need at least four family members for the ceremony," Daiki said slowly. "Right?"

Satoshi and Kosuke both nodded.

"But…" He pointed to the boys. "They will probably be Dark and Krad, right?"

Comprehension began to dawn.

"And Kosuke, you aren't actually a Niwa," Daiki finished. "We're a few people short."

Everyone was silent for a moment. "What should we do?" Emiko said at last, sitting back and accepting the cup of tea from Towa without looking. "I mean, we could take a blood sample from the boys to have blood from each family, but that would still only leave us with two actual family members to perform the ceremony."

Kosuke sat up. "What about your—"

"Took a trip to America to meet some guy," Emiko said gloomily.

"The cousin—" Daiki began.

"Her car was just impounded. She can't get anywhere, much less here in a day."

"Maybe—"

"No. She washed her hands of the entire family and joined a nunnery last month."

"Hmmm." The three sat pondering in silence.

Daisuke shifted nervously. "I have an idea."

Emiko looked up at him. "What is it, sweetie?"

"The Harada twins." Her eyes widened, and he hastened to explain. "I mean, we don't really have anyone else available, and they're close."

"It's a good suggestion, Emiko," Kosuke said softly.

She frowned. "But Daisuke…what will you tell them?"

He shrugged. "The truth, I guess. Anything else won't be believable…especially since the truth is pretty unbelievable anyway."

"You'll have to tell them everything, Dai-chan. **Everything**. About the axe, about Dark, about—"

"I'll have to tell them eventually," Daisuke pointed out. "Why not now, if we need them?"

"Will they help us?" Daiki asked in concern.

Daisuke paused. "I don't know. But we have to try. There's no one else available."

Emiko sighed. "Honey…we're not going to make you tell them. We can try to find someone."

Taking a deep breath, Daisuke stood. "No. Riku-san and Harada-san are the best chance we have. I'll…go talk to them."

"Dai-chan—"

"I'll accompany you," Satoshi said suddenly. He had been silent throughout the entire conversation, so his sudden interruption made everyone jump.

Emiko glared at him instinctively, but managed to curb herself after a moment. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I do know a little more about the situation than Niwa-kun does," Satoshi replied calmly. "If the twins have a question he cannot answer, they may become doubtful. Besides, he may need the support."

"It would be nice," Daisuke admitted, flushing a little.

The look in his mother's eyes implied that she wasn't certain it was a good idea, but Kosuke laid a hand on her shoulder and redirected her attention. "I think that's very kind of you, Hikari-san."

Satoshi nodded and stood as well. Daisuke waved at his parents as they headed toward the door. "We'll be back soon. Hopefully with good news."

Once out of sight, Emiko turned to Kosuke. "Is this a good idea?" she asked. "Those girls are innocent. If they get hurt, or worse—"

He hugged her shoulders, and Daiki patted her knee. "Emiko…they may be young, but if Daisuke thinks they can help, we should trust his judgment," Daiki advised.

"We just need them to be there," Kosuke added. "They don't even have to say anything."

She sighed. "I know. But if they agree, they're going to want to be fully involved. Daisuke's always had a talent for attracting strong-willed people."

"Like Hikari-san?" Kosuke suggested.

The look on Emiko's face was briefly, inexplicably sad. "Yeah."

He hugged her again. "Daisuke knows what he's doing."


	64. Chapter 28: December 23

ASN: 431 reviews! That's truly awesome. Thanks guys. I'd (try to) be funny here, but I have to go to work.

**Chapter 28: December 23**

"I have no idea what I'm going to do," Daisuke confessed to Satoshi. The redhead was flailing his hands extra widely—a sure sign of his nervousness. "What am I going to tell them? How should I start out? 'Hi, I'm your cousin, and I need your help in an obscure sealing ritual. Give me your blood?'"

Satoshi shook his head. "Calm down, Niwa. Being nervous isn't going to make it any easier."

"Maybe we should try to get in contact with one of those cousins," Daisuke babbled on. "I mean, Dark and I could probably get her out of that nunnery with no trouble at all."

"I doubt that would be a wise move," Satoshi said dryly.

_Yeah,_ Dark chimed in. _Nuns get nasty when cornered. _

Daisuke sighed, not even able to work up the energy to crack a smile at Dark's comment. With each step toward the Harada residence, he felt as though his body was getting heavier and heavier.

"Come on, Niwa," Satoshi told him.

"I'm coming." He continued to drag his feet.

Satoshi cast him a vaguely irritated look. "Niwa…"

"Sorry, Hiwatari-kun. I'm just…really nervous."

Satoshi stopped walking and turned around. He caught Daisuke by the shoulders, staring at him seriously. "I know you're worried, Niwa-kun. But this is the only chance any of us have. It must be done."

A slight blush tinged Daisuke's cheeks. "I know…"

Letting go, Satoshi stepped away. Daisuke remained rooted to the spot.

With an almost imperceptible sigh, Satoshi seized Daisuke by the hand and pulled. Daisuke stumbled forward with an 'eep!'

Again in motion, Satoshi and Daisuke walked for a moment hand-in-hand, before Satoshi released him. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." Daisuke took a deep breath. "I'll just—try my best not to confuse anyone."

_If you need a hand, I can always tell you what to say,_ Dark offered.

Daisuke smiled, relaxing. For some reason, talking to Dark had that effect on him. Most of the time. _Thanks for the offer, Dark. But we'll see what happens. _

_Are you implying that it would be better if I wasn't involved at all? _Dark sounded offended. _I am the most important person in the entire story! You can't tell them about Rika and not mention me! _

_I can try,_ Daisuke teased.

_Don't you dare!_

"We're here," Satoshi interrupted suddenly. Daisuke jumped. He had been so wrapped up in speaking with Dark, he hadn't even noticed. Which, come to think of it, had probably been Dark's objective.

The tall door of the Harada home loomed in front of him. He stared up at it, abruptly nervous again.

Satoshi watched him for a moment, then sighed once again and rang the doorbell.

Daisuke looked at him. "Why'd you do that?" He tried very hard not to whine, and mostly succeeded.

"Because you weren't going to," Satoshi responded.

The door swung open, and Riku peered out. "Hello—Niwa-kun?" She blinked at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" He ruffled his hair uncomfortably. "I need to talk to you."

"Can we come in?" Satoshi asked.

"Do you need to talk to me, too?" she asked, giving him a strange look.

"Actually, we have an issue that needs to be discussed with both you and the other Harada, if you don't mind." Riku opened the door wider, and Satoshi stepped in, discreetly pushing Daisuke inside in front of him.

"Well, I…she's on the—"

"It's important, Riku-san," Daisuke interrupted. "Please?"

She studied him, then nodded. "Okay. Go into the family room; we'll be there in a minute."

Daisuke did so, and Satoshi followed. They both stood uncomfortably until the twins appeared, arguing.

"You didn't have to go that far, Riku!" Risa hissed as she walked into the room. When she noticed the two, she stopped and eyed them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"They're the ones who wanted to talk to us, Risa," Riku said as she followed her sister in. "I told you, but you were too busy on that stupid phone."   
Risa plopped onto the couch. "Well, there had better be a good reason!" she stated. "Riku thought this was so important that she **unplugged** my phone! Now the fortune-telling lines will never accept my calls again!" She glared at the pair.

Daisuke saw Satoshi give him a 'sorry, but they're **your** relatives' look. He sighed slightly. "Sorry, Harada-san."

Riku sat down next to her, and gestured to the boys to sit on the couch across from them. "Don't apologize. She'd already been on the phone for hours."

"Well, everyone I called kept going on and on about impending doom!" Risa announced. "Of course I was interested! It's not like **they're**—" She waved an impatient hand at the two boys, "—going to have anything like that to tell us."

"Actually," Daisuke said hesitantly, "We do kind of have something to do with impending doom."

The girls stared at him.

"Of course," he continued, babbling a little, "it all depends on your definition of doom. I mean, one person's horror could be another's walk in the park, you know."

"Niwa-kun," Riku said with a sigh, holding up a hand, "Just tell us what's going on."

"Well…" He glanced at Satoshi, who simply nodded in encouragement. "First of all, I need to tell you the real reason I broke up with you."

Again, the girls stared at him. Riku looked taken aback and a little upset, while Risa just seemed shocked.

"But…I thought he was the reason!" Risa pointed at Satoshi.

Daisuke shook his head. "No, Hiwatari-kun had nothing to do with it."

"But he said he did!" Riku protested.

"And you kissed him!" Risa added.

Riku's eyes grew big, and she looked from Risa to Daisuke with surprise. "You **kissed** him?"

Cheeks heating, Daisuke waved a hand. "Well, Hiwatari-kun and I were—just acting. To cover up the real reason. I mean, everyone thought we were dating anyway, so we just…encouraged it."

"You're really good actors," Risa mumbled, folding her arms.

"Why?" Riku's voice was shaky. "Are you saying you—you lied to me?"

"I…" Daisuke studied the floor intently. "I did, Riku-san. I'm sorry."

"But—" Riku had to stop and take a deep breath. Risa laid a hand on her arm, giving Daisuke an evil glare. "Why lie? What was the real reason?"

"I broke up with you because…" Daisuke also had to take a deep breath. "Because Hiwatari-kun discovered that I'm related to you."

"What?!" Risa and Riku looked at each other, then at him. "We're not related."

"Yes, we are," Daisuke insisted. "Closely related, actually."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Well, it's on your grandmother's side, so…we're first cousins."

"What are you talking about? And how would Hiwatari-kun figure out something like that anyway?" Risa asked suspiciously.

"I stumbled across it," Satoshi said calmly. "In my research, I discovered a series of events that were…suspicious, so I looked into it."

"What events?" Riku demanded.

"Well, my grandfather and Kobayashi Rika, your grandmother, were only a couple of years apart in age—" Daisuke began, but that was as far as he got.

Risa stood up, eyes flashing. "What are you saying about our grandmother, Niwa-kun?"

He started. "I—"

"I am sick and tired of this!" Risa declared, rounding on Satoshi. "You! You made this entire thing up as a way to tarnish the relationship between Dark-san and my grandmother, didn't you?!"

Satoshi blinked at her. "Pardon?"

"She never would have done anything with another man!" She stomped her foot for added emphasis. "Our grandmother had a deep love for Dark-san, and he for her, and I don't care what either of you say about her or him, but they were meant for each other and that's all!"

_I think that's my cue, Daisuke. Let me out, please. _

Daisuke sighed and bowed his head, casting one last glance at Satoshi. Then, the hair began to darken and elongate, and his body shifted and grew. When he looked back up, it was Dark who smiled sadly at the girls.

"Speaking of…" he said in a soft voice.

There was a beat of silence...and then two harmonized screams echoed through the rafters.


	65. Chapter 29: December 23

ASN: Here's a nice long chapter to start the week with. Enjoy!

**Chapter 29: December 23**

"Ow," Dark said, wincing as silence finally fell again.

"Dark-san?" Risa asked incredulously. "But—"

"What did you do with Niwa-kun?" Riku demanded, turning on the thief.

"Nothing," he said quickly, raising his hands. "He's still here."

Both of the twins looked confused.

Dark sighed. "Both of you know that I was a famous thief forty years ago, right?"

They nodded.

"Did either of you ever wonder how, if I was a famous thief forty years ago, I still look seventeen?"

Riku shook her head, but Risa looked thoughtful.

"I'm not actually human," Dark said gently. "I'm a magical being, and I'm carried in the Niwa bloodline."

Riku was clearly skeptical. "Magic? There's no such thing."

Dark leaned back and smiled widely at her. "Thus speaks the girl who got kidnapped by a painting of a unicorn."

"That wasn't a dream?" Riku asked incredulously, a frown furrowing her brow.

"Come on, Riku," Risa said impatiently. "I was there too, remember? It was after that that Dark-san and I went out for the first time."

Riku continued to frown, folding her arms and leaning back on the couch.

Dark suddenly snapped his fingers in inspiration. "I know!" He leaned forward and gently brushed Risa on the forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed.

"What are you doing?" Riku shouted, jumping up.

"I'm just restoring her memories," Dark explained. "I blurred out pieces when you two were involved in a few of our…more interesting adventures."

Satoshi cast the thief a look. "Are you sure that's wise, Dark?" he asked significantly.

Dark shrugged. "Too late now. But I was careful."

Risa opened her eyes. "Niwa-kun's painting!" she whispered. "And that world of snow. You got hurt!" She turned to Dark, who grinned sheepishly.

"Well, it happens." He looked at Riku. "Your turn now."

She raised her head. "How do I know you are implanting these memories, somehow? That everything Risa thinks she 'remembers' is one fat lie?"

Dark tried to restrain himself from scoffing, and didn't succeed. "Riku, if Daisuke's little change didn't convince you, nothing will. I'm just trying to clear things up some."

She scowled at him, but reluctantly allowed him to touch her forehead. As her eyes closed, Risa turned back to Dark.

"Dark-san…why did you erase our memories in the first place?"

He sighed. "It was knowledge that, at the time, you didn't need to know. All it did was confuse you, and it potentially put Daisuke and I in danger of getting caught."

Riku blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Wow…I can't believe it…I mean, I've never considered magic real. Even Risa's fortune-telling thing has always been doubtful to me."

"Harada," Satoshi sighed. "Dark flew around Azumano on a set of wings. How normal did you think that was?"

She gave him a glare that could have melted concrete, and Satoshi was eerily reminded of Emiko.

"And where do you fit in all of this?" she demanded.

Satoshi stared at her stonily and said nothing.  
"That's another story for another day, Riku," Dark said, breaking the silence. "We need to get back to the issue at hand now. So, do you accept that magic is real or not?

The girls agreed.

"Then we can continue. Now, Risa, you know that I—loved your grandmother very much."

She smiled a little sadly at him. "Yes, I do."

"Well, in the past, I was being hosted in Daisuke's grandfather, Daiki. So, all the reports of me from forty years ago were actually me in Daiki's body, just as now, they're me in Daisuke's body."

Risa clapped her hands, coming to a realization. "That's why he was never around during the heists!"

"Exactly. He was me."

Riku's eyes flew open wide. "So when you kissed me on the balcony, it **was** Niwa!"

Risa shot a glare at her sister. "What?"

Satoshi cast a glance at Dark. The thief winced. "Um, moving on—"

"No, no," Risa interrupted, turning to her sister. "I want to hear this. You kissed him?"

"It was an accident—" Riku began.

"So you admit it!" Risa stood up and put her hands on her hips. "When was this?"

"Hey, I didn't want to!" Riku responded, standing as well. "**He** kissed **me**!"

Risa turned on Dark, who was sinking into the couch. "You did?!"

"She was screaming!"

"Why was she **screaming**?!" Risa looked shocked.

"I crash-landed on that balcony and surprised her. She started screaming, and I had to shut her up somehow," Dark protested.

"You kissed her to 'shut her up?'" Risa asked incredulously. "That is the dumbest reason I've ever heard for kissing someone."

"Daisuke does it too!"

Satoshi held up a hand before **that** line of inquiry could go any further. "All right, that's enough."

The twins both gave Satoshi a confused look.

"This has nothing to do with the subject at hand. The fact is that Dark is your grandfather."

Seizing upon the temporary silence granted by Satoshi's bluntness, Dark took over from there, settling back into a comfortable position. "To some degree, I'm your grandfather. However, as I stated earlier, I'm a magical being, and I don't have an actual body of my own. That means that, when Rika and I were—involved, though I'm the one…who, well…"

"Had sex with our grandmother?" Risa said impatiently.

"Uh…yeah," Dark agreed, casting a sideways glance at Satoshi, who shrugged.

"Before or after she was married?" Risa pressed. Riku was trying to hide in the corner of the couch, face flaming.

"Before, not that it's really any of your business. The point is," Risa opened her mouth again, but Dark spoke right over her, "**The point is**, although I'm the one who was involved with your grandmother, the DNA that created your mother was my host's. My host, Niwa Daiki, is Daisuke's grandfather…and your genetic grandfather."

XXXXX

Having finally gotten the news out in the open, no one was really sure what to say next. Riku was the one to finally break the silence.

"How…how do you know?"

"The record of events that I found seemed to vaguely imply that Rika-san's daughter, your mother, was not the child of your grandfather," Satoshi explained. "I also found a locket with a sample of your mother's hair in it from when she was young."

"Where would you find something like that?" Risa asked. "You never came here."

"It was a gift to your mother's caregiver," Satoshi said calmly, moving on before he could be interrupted again. "On a hunch, I had a DNA test performed on your mother's hair along with one of Daisuke's grandfather's. It proved that he was her father."

"So, you're certain?" Riku said finally. "There's no doubt?"

"None," Dark responded, shaking his head. "You're my granddaughters—to some degree."

"Did you know?" Risa's eyes grew wide. "You knew that we were her grandchildren—did you know we were **yours**?"

"No," Dark hastened to explain. "I didn't know until Hiwatari told me." He shrugged uncomfortably. "Sorry. I know it changes everything you've ever thought about me and Daisuke, but—"

"Sorry?!" Riku repeated furiously, standing up. "You're our grandfather—"

"And you **kissed** us! Both of us!" Risa finished, eyes flashing as she stood as well.

"**Pervert**!" Both girls slapped Dark at the same time, one on each cheek, so hard that Dark's head rang from the impact.

He rubbed his right cheek, gazing sourly at the girls fuming in front of him, and then was distracted by a sound behind him.

Satoshi was laughing.

It was short and quiet—more of a chuckle, really—but that didn't make Dark feel any better. "It's not funny, **Commander**," he snapped.

"Perhaps," Satoshi allowed, still smirking slightly, "But it was quite—satisfying to see."

Dark resisted the urge to wipe the amusement from the Hikari's face forcibly and turned back to the twins.

"I suppose I deserved that," he said carefully, "but it's done and over with."

Riku tossed her head, obviously still annoyed. "I'm not sure if I should be disgusted or not," she snapped, crossing her arms. "I don't suppose I should've expected any better from a thief who apparently got our grandmother pregnant and then abandoned her!"

"Do you think I **wanted** to leave her?" Dark asked incredulously. "I loved her!"

"Funny way to show it," Riku said icily. "Leaving her to marry a man she didn't love just so she would have someone to take care of the baby that **you** couldn't be bothered with."

"Riku!" Risa admonished, eyes wide.

Dark's face grew cold. "Look, Riku, I know you don't like me, and honestly, I don't care what you think or what you say about me, but don't you **ever** question the love I had for Rika."

The tension in the room grew exponentially as an uncomfortable silence lengthened.

"Oh!" Risa said suddenly, putting her hands to her face. "Let me get something!" She dashed out of the room.

Dark eyed Riku coolly, and she pointedly turned her head so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"I loved Rika very much," he told her softly. "I didn't have any choice about leaving. If I had, I would never have left."

Riku didn't say anything, but somehow the tense line of her shoulders seemed to soften slightly.

Dark sighed. "You can believe or not, that's your choice. But whatever you believe doesn't change the truth."

"And what is the truth?" she asked without turning around.

"The best day of my life was when I met Rika for the first time…and the worst was when I was pulled away from her."

Riku was startled, to say the least, by the depth of pain in the thief's voice. She turned and opened her mouth, but found that there was nothing that she could say.

The front door slammed closed as Risa came running back in, clutching a small white envelope. She slowed and walked to Dark.

"This is for you," she said simply, holding it out. "I found this a while ago."

Dark hesitantly took the envelope and opened it. He pulled out the paper within to see Rika's distinctive handwriting.

It was a letter…to him.

He read it slowly, eyes carefully taking in every nuance. As he reached the end, he raised his head to look back up at Risa, form rippling and changing as he did so.

"Dark says thank you," Daisuke said simply.

Risa nodded with a small smile and sat back down.

Daisuke folded the letter up and slipped it back into the envelope. "Well," he began, "That's why I broke up with you, Riku-san, and why I was never around when Dark was. I hope you'll forgive me for hiding this from you for so long."

Riku sat back down on the couch next to her sister. "It's okay, Niwa-kun. I understand, but…why are you telling me this now?"

"That's what we were talking about with the impending doom," Daisuke said, running a hand through his hair. "You see, there's this guy—a magical guy, like Dark, but not, who—well…"

"Are you talking about the white Dark?" Risa asked. "In those memories that Dark-san brought up earlier, there was another man with wings…white ones."

"Oh, yeah!" Riku nodded. "He attacked Dark with that sword, and then Risa and me."

Daisuke cast a quick, concerned look at Satoshi, who in turn glanced away.

A thoughtful look came to Risa's face. "He said we all had the same eyes…but I don't remember what happened to him."

Riku frowned. "Yeah, there's a blank spot there." She looked at Daisuke. "What did he do?"

Daisuke shrugged, looking confused. "I…I wasn't there, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Not the white Dark, your Dark!" She pointed a finger at him. "He didn't return all our memories, did he?!"

"Well, I—" Daisuke paused. "Dark says that you're right. He also says that… the memory you're talking about concerns something you shouldn't have learned."

Risa and Riku exchanged glances. "What gives him the right to decide something like that?" Riku asked.

"It's for your own good," Daisuke told her seriously. "Don't worry about it, please, Riku-san?"

She studied him hard for a moment, and finally reluctantly nodded agreement. "All right, Niwa-kun."

"Thank you," he responded. "Now, this white Dark—his name is Krad—is trying to…this is hard to explain."

"Krad is trying to remove Dark permanently from reality and seize a great amount of power for himself." Satoshi spoke quietly yet firmly, drawing the twins' attention to him. "This cannot happen, because Krad is too uncontrollable to let become so powerful, and his attempts to get rid of Dark may end up destroying Azumano."

Risa gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. "On the phone—the fortune-tellers were talking about earth-shaking consequences. Did you think that's what they meant?"

"Perhaps," Satoshi allowed, though he didn't seem to consider it very likely. "Letting Krad win must be avoided at all costs. We believe we've found a way to stop him, but we need your assistance."

"With what?" Riku asked, looking confused. "We can't do anything. We're just teenagers." As she spoke, suspicion surfaced in her eyes. "Unless—you need us because we're related to Dark."

Satoshi nodded, slightly impressed she had picked up on that so fast. "That's right. Niwa's father has found a ceremony that will end all of this, but it requires four blood-related family members. Since Niwa will be Dark, that means we need two more people."

"Us," Risa breathed.

Daisuke nodded. "That's right, Harada-san."

Riku scooted a little closer to her sister. "But—what would we do? We won't be sacrificed or anything, right?"

"No, Riku-san!" Daisuke said hurriedly. "Of course not! As far as we can tell, the ceremony just needs a little blood—not much—and the presence of four family members."

"What do you mean, 'as far as we can tell?' Are you saying you're not sure?" Riku did not look pleased.

"This ceremony is very powerful, Harada," Satoshi said. "No one is completely sure what it will do. But the Niwa will not let you get hurt."

"If you succeed, what will happen to Dark-san?" Risa asked suddenly. "Will he be affected?"

Daisuke sighed. "He'd leave, Harada-san. We'd never see him again."

"Oh." She looked briefly sad. "Is he okay with that?"

A similar expression crossed Daisuke's face. "He says it's the only way. It's okay."

"That's good." She folded her hands demurely in her lap. "When are you going to do this?"

"We're not sure," Satoshi said after a moment. "At the moment, we believe tomorrow."

Nothing was said as the girls pondered everything they had been told. After a minute, they looked at each other. Nothing was said out loud, but when they turned back at Satoshi and Daisuke, a decision had been made.

"We'll help, if it's the only way," Riku said firmly. "But we want to talk to your parents about this ceremony and see what our parts involve, all right?"

A smile brightened Daisuke's face. "Really?"

His delight was contagious. The twins smiled back at him shyly. "Yeah," Risa agreed. "This is really important to you, so we'll help."

"Great!" Daisuke jumped to his feet. "You want to go now, then?"

"Sure." Riku stood up as well, Risa and Satoshi doing so a second after. "I'm going to go tell Tsubouchi that we're going to a friend's house. I'll meet you out front."

She disappeared into the back garden, and the rest headed outside.

"I have a question," Risa spoke up suddenly. "How do you know about Niwa-kun and Dark-san, Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi hesitated.

"Oh, Hiwatari-kun is the special commander in charge of capturing Dark," Daisuke told her offhandedly.

She blinked at him as Riku came jogging up. "That explains a lot, but actually, that doesn't answer much," she said. "If he's in charge of capturing you—"

"Dark," Daisuke corrected.

"If he's supposed to catch Dark-san, why is he here?" Risa finished.

"Um…"

"Niwa convinced me of the error of my ways," Satoshi said dryly. "Are we ready to go?"

Riku cast him a confused glance as they started toward the Niwa home. "Wait—you're supposed to catch Dark?"

"Well," Daisuke began, since it was obvious that Satoshi did not want to talk about it, "Once Hiwatari-kun…um, found out that Dark wasn't actually a real person but a magical being inside of me, he decided that he—couldn't arrest him, since capturing Dark would mean capturing me, too." He gave her a grin. "And I didn't steal anything."

"Technically," Satoshi commented. "I'm sure you could be considered an accessory."

Daisuke chuckled. The girls just looked at each other uncertainly.


	66. Chapter 30: December 23

ASN: A hundred thousand apologies. I forgot. Sorry, sorry, sorry!

**Chapter 30: December 23**

When they arrived at Daisuke's home, Emiko and Kosuke met them at the door with a certain amount of reservation, unsure of what Daisuke had told them. The girls exchanged polite greetings and, without further small talk, started asking questions.

"Niwa-kun told us a lot, but we're still not sure how we can help," Riku began. "I mean, we don't know magic or anything like that."

"Well," Kosuke said, ushering the girls into the living room, "You won't really be doing any of the incantations. I think there may be a line or two that you need to say, but Daiki will be doing most of it. If you like, we can practice your parts later this evening."

"Why is Jii-chan the one leading?" Daisuke asked. "I thought…it mentioned a price—"

Risa and Riku suddenly looked nervous. Emiko waved a hand reassuringly at them and smiled. "Oh, girls, don't mind Dai-chan. He's just a little confused on the translation at the end." She laid a hand on his shoulder and steered him out of the room. "Kosuke will tell you about what we need you to do. We'll get tea."

As soon as they were out of sight, Emiko turned to look at Daisuke. Her smile had disappeared. "Daisuke, sweetie…we talked about who would lead the ceremony while you were gone. Dad decided that he would do it."

"But—we don't know the price!" It was beginning to sink in to Daisuke that someone was going to get hurt doing this…or worse.

"Daisuke." Emiko pulled him into a close hug. After a moment, she spoke again, though her voice was much shakier. "It's the best decision. I offered to do it, but Dad refused to even consider it. He insisted that we needed to be here, for you, and he's right. You need your parents, Dai-chan…even if we aren't the best."

Surprised, Daisuke hugged her back. "It's okay, Mom…I think you're great."

She sniffled. "I know it's been hard for you. I mean, Kosuke wasn't around for such a long time…and I'm not very understanding, am I?"

Daisuke pulled back and looked at her seriously. "Mom…I wouldn't have you any other way. Don't change, okay?"

The smile returned to her face. "Thanks, dear."

He smiled back.

"Dai-chan…" She held a hand up to his hair. "When—when did you get taller than me? I hadn't noticed."

Ignoring the question, he hugged her again. Emiko laughed and returned the gesture. "All right, sweetie. Let's go get that tea." She clapped her hands. "Towa-chan!"

"Wait, Mom," Daisuke interrupted as they started toward the kitchen. "Are you sure you want her to do the tea with the way she's been acting lately?"

"Good point," Emiko agreed. "I'm sure we can get it." She surveyed the kitchen. "As soon as I figure out where Towa puts everything."

XXXXX

After tea, which ended up becoming a late dinner, Daisuke and Satoshi walked the twins home. It was too late to do anything more that day; they'd have to wait until tomorrow to practice the ceremony.

If they had time tomorrow…

"So, are you okay with all of this?" Daisuke asked the girls.

"I think so," Riku said at last. "It's kinda weird, but…I'm getting used to it. And Daiki-san is very nice."

Risa and Riku had been a little unsure of themselves around Daiki, since the situation was now entirely different compared to the last time they had met. Daiki had simply been his normal self, and eventually they had relaxed.

"Yeah," Risa agreed. "I actually wish we had known sooner…our other grandfather died when we were really young."

"I'm sorry," Daisuke offered. "Well, if everything goes well, I'm sure he'd love to have you two come by and visit."

"That would be nice," Riku said, Risa agreeing with her a beat later. "I think we will."

"All right," Daisuke replied cheerfully.

The four approached the large door of the Harada mansion, but paused before the girls headed inside. "So, we'll see you tomorrow morning?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah," Risa answered. "We'll have Tsubouchi bring us by at—your mom said eight, right?"

"I think so," Daisuke glanced at Satoshi, who nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"Okay." Riku gave him a smile. "We'll see you then. Have a good night."

They disappeared into the house, and Daisuke sighed deeply, stretching his arms above his head. "I'm **so** tired!" he yawned.

"It's been a long day, Niwa, and you weren't in very good shape to do all of this in the first place," Satoshi said quietly.

"Yeah, well, neither were you," Daisuke replied softly. "Are you okay?"

Satoshi gave the redhead a slight smile. "I'm fine. A little tired, but that's nothing rest can't solve."

"Let's get home, then," Daisuke suggested. "I'm sure Mom has tea or something waiting for us."

The two boys continued their way back without another word, simply enjoying the night's quiet. Even Dark was subdued under the peaceful stillness of Azumano at night.

As the Niwa residence appeared in the distance, however, they found someone waiting for them, and the night's silence was shattered.

XXXXX

"Daisuke!" Saehara emerged from the shadows. "Where have you been?!"

Both Daisuke and Satoshi jumped at the other teen's sudden appearance. "Geez, Saehara," Daisuke said shakily. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Saehara scowled. "You're one to talk. We've been really worried about you. You didn't come to school yesterday, and no one knew where you were." He jerked his head at Satoshi. "Even Hiwatari here didn't know where you were yesterday. And then he disappeared after lunch and then **neither** of you showed up today."

"I was sick," Daisuke said weakly.

Saehara folded his arms across his chest. "So sick that the two of you are walking around together in the middle of the night?"

"We, uh…" the redhead trailed off.

The reporter shook his head, more serious than Satoshi could ever remember seeing before. "Daisuke, this isn't like you at all. I called your mom when **none** of us, not me or Nishimura or Masahiro, heard from you. She said that she'd tell you to call me when you woke up."

Daisuke's eyes widened and he slapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh, Saehara, I forgot," he said miserably. "I'm so sorry."

A disbelieving look came over Saehara's face. "What is **wrong** with you? You've been acting so weird lately. You don't talk to us anymore, you don't do anything with us. Hiwatari's the only person you really associate with." He shook his head in frustration. "You know, it's like you're an entirely different person now."

Both Daisuke and Satoshi winced at that.

Saehara sighed and stepped closer to Daisuke, ignoring Satoshi completely. "I know you two are dating and all, but this isn't healthy."

"We're fine," Daisuke tried to reassure his friend. "A lot of really weird stuff has happened lately, but it's okay. It's not Hiwatari-kun's fault."

"Do you even listen to yourself?" Saehara asked disbelievingly. "Daisuke, come on. I mean, being forced to leave friends behind, changing habits so drastically, defending him against all reason? This shows all the classic signs of an abusive relationship—oh, God." The reporter stopped dead in horror as something became clear to him. "You've been missing so much school recently…" Saehara whirled on Satoshi with surprising viciousness. "Are you **hurting** him?!"

Satoshi's mind suddenly went blank and cold as fury rose within him at the reporter's accusation.

Daisuke's mouth dropped open in shock. "No! Hiwatari-kun would never hurt me!"

"Really?" Saehara asked skeptically. He reached for Daisuke's sleeve. "Then you won't have any bruises or anything, will you?"

Daisuke's eyes widened. A sick feeling rose against Satoshi's anger. He knew that the redhead was covered in bruises from Krad's attack.

Daisuke twisted away before Saehara could look.

To Saehara, that only proved him right. He turned and looked daggers at Satoshi. "You **bastard**," he spat.

A fury unlike any other Satoshi had ever experienced was taking hold of him. The sounds of Daisuke protesting and Saehara accusing faded as his head began pounding. He had **never** been this angry before. His hands clenched. The nerve of that self-righteous, idiotic want-to-be reporter…he couldn't possibly begin to understand…how **dare** he…

Krad stirred and muttered in his sleep, gaining energy from Satoshi's anger, cracking the fragile barrier the rutile was projecting.

And immediately Satoshi blanked his thoughts. He had to maintain control. If he didn't, Krad might wake up and take over. At best, Satoshi might just transform into Krad's form without the curse actually taking control. In any case, changing into Krad would not help the argument with Saehara any. He took a deep breath.

"Saehara," he said, his icy voice shaking slightly, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"So you deny it, then?" Saehara said hotly. "Can you stand there and say you don't have anything to do with Daisuke's sudden sicknesses?"

The hell of it was that Satoshi couldn't deny it. All of Daisuke's injuries could be laid squarely at his door. He should know, Niwa Emiko had certainly done it often enough. "Saehara, you don't know us. Either of us. So don't—"

His sentence was cut off as Saehara stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm. "Daisuke's my best friend, and I'm not going to let you hurt him!"

Pain screamed its way up Satoshi's arm from the barely-healed gash, and he could feel the blood drain from his face. He reeled slightly, the pain overwhelming all other senses for a moment.

"Saehara!" Daisuke stepped forward and knocked the reporter's arm away.

Satoshi took a few steps back, clutching his forearm. He could feel the sticky wetness of blood seeping through the bandages.

"Saehara," Daisuke said firmly. "It's not what you're thinking. Hiwatari-kun didn't do anything to me. He wouldn't."

The teen didn't look convinced. "So what about ignoring us, ignoring all your friends?" he asked pointedly.

"That's entirely my fault," Daisuke admitted readily. "Everything's been really screwed up; you have no idea how screwed up."

"You keep saying that," Saehara sighed.

"It's because it's true!" the redhead flared. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Prove it," Saehara challenged. "Do something with us Monday afternoon. That's the day after tomorrow and we don't have school 'cause of the holiday. That's far enough warning in advance for you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. I'll be there. Monday afternoon," Daisuke said firmly. "Now apologize."

The reporter frowned. "For what?"

Daisuke's eyes narrowed dangerously. "For saying that to Hiwatari-kun. You were out of line, Saehara."

"Maybe," he allowed rebelliously. "But he never denied it."

Once again completely under control, Satoshi stepped forward, squarely confronting Saehara. "I would never, **never** knowingly hurt Niwa."

Saehara nodded reluctantly. "All right. Sorry."

"Don't ever accuse me of that again," the commander said in a voice as cold and hard as ice.

The reporter nodded again. He turned to Daisuke. "Sorry."

Daisuke sighed. "So…Monday?"

"Yeah," Saehara nodded. He cast a long glance back at Satoshi before looking back at Daisuke. "You can bring Hiwatari, if you want. If he's really that important to you, then we're going to want to get to know him."

Daisuke glanced at Satoshi.

The commander sighed and shrugged.

The redhead turned back to Saehara. "Fine. We'll be there."

Saehara nodded uncomfortably. "Right. Well, good night, then." He turned and walked away, quickly vanishing from sight into the dark evening.

"Well, that was interesting," Satoshi said with a sigh as he started walking back to the house.

Daisuke didn't say anything, just walked over and took Satoshi's left hand, pulling him to a stop as well. The other teen glanced at him, confused.

"What is it, Niwa-kun?"

Daisuke slid the sleeve of Satoshi's shirt up so he could see the cut on his arm, holding the hand tighter when Satoshi realized what he was after and tried to pull away. The bandages had held well throughout the day, but there was now a large spot of blood staining the left arm where Saehara had grabbed it.

He gave Satoshi a disappointed look. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm fine," he responded, pulling out of Daisuke's grasp. "I wasn't about to tell Saehara, in any case."

"I can understand that." Daisuke slid an arm around Satoshi's waist. "Okay, then, let's get home."

"Thank you for your concern, Niwa, but I can walk perfectly well on my own."

"Of course you can," Daisuke agreed, "But my legs are a little shaky. I need the support, too."

The look Satoshi gave him informed Daisuke that the teen saw right through his excuse, but he let the redhead help him back to the Niwa house without further complaint.


	67. Chapter 31: December 24

**Chapter 31: December 24**

Risa and Riku arrived exactly at eight the next morning. Kosuke explained to Tsubouchi that they were planning an all day trip and weren't certain when the twins would be home, but he was more than welcome to call if he wanted to check on them.

Tsubouchi didn't seem too pleased, but Riku promised that they'd be careful, which seemed to comfort him to some degree. He drove off, and the girls stepped into the house, Kosuke right behind them.

The house was completely empty.

"Where is everyone?" Riku asked, turning in a circle. "I thought we were all going to do this together."

"They're all downstairs, setting up," Kosuke explained. "Follow me."

He led them through the house, down a set of stairs, through a large oak door and down another set of stairs, this time a spiraling stone staircase that ended in what eerily reminded the twins of dungeons they had seen depicted in bad horror movies.

Torches lined the wall, and they were the only source of light. An unlit, gigantic fire pit sat in the middle of a circular room. The rest of the Niwa and Satoshi were busily moving tables and various training equipment out of the way, creating a large empty space around the fire pit.

"Oh, good, you're here!" Emiko greeted cheerfully. "Would one of you mind running and getting the chalk out of the storage room? It's through that door, on the top shelf to the left side of the door."

"Okay…" Riku said uncertainly.

"I'll get it if you like, Harada," Satoshi offered.

"No!" Emiko interrupted quickly. "I…I need your help for something else, Hikari."

He nodded and moved to help her with the placement of the large, twisted iron candlesticks. Risa and Riku looked at each other, shrugged, and went to go fetch the chalk.

They opened the door to the storage room and gasped. It was stuffed full of various artworks, most of which they recognized as Dark's past targets.

"Wow," Risa whispered, gazing around in amazement.

"He's a busy thief, isn't he?" Riku commented as she tiptoed to grab the desired box.

"Still, it's amazing," Risa said as they headed back to the room. "Niwa-sama, you have a very…impressive collection."

"Very eclectic," Riku added.

Emiko beamed at them. "Thank you. We're very proud of it. Hand me a piece of chalk, please?"

Carefully maintaining a neutral expression, Satoshi made a mental note of the storage room's location. However, when Riku opened the chalk box and removed a delicate-looking pipe, he couldn't keep his eyes from widening in surprise.

"The Flute of Memories?" He stared at Emiko openly. "It's been considered lost for centuries."

She smiled serenely. "It's only lost if you don't know where it is."

"So you put it there purposely?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, perhaps it was…misplaced, but we still knew its general location."

Daisuke came bounding up. "Mom, Dad was wondering—hey! You found the flute! I remember playing with this as a kid! Where did you find it?"

The commander's face grew darker. "In a box. Of. Chalk," he said, ice dripping from every word.

Daisuke's gaze flicked from Satoshi to his mother's impassive face. "Right…Hiwatari-kun, can you come give me a hand?" Still scowling, Satoshi walked off to the other side of the room with Daisuke.

Riku and Risa looked uncertainly at each other. Emiko noticed and smiled at them. "Oh, don't mind him," she said sweetly. "He just doesn't have any sort of a sense of humor whatsoever."

Soon, everyone was assigned a task. The twins were told to watch and learn how Satoshi and Daisuke drew the diagrams on the floor, since it was unlikely the two boys would be around for the actual ceremony. Riku was helping Daisuke with one half, while Risa was watching Satoshi draw the other half on the opposite side of the room.

"Niwa-kun," Riku asked cautiously. "I was…well—"

He looked at her worriedly. "Is something wrong, Riku-san? I didn't screw something up, did I?"

"No, no," she assured him. "I was wondering…I mean, I completely understand why you didn't tell me the real reason you broke up with me. If you had told me it was because Dark was my grandfather and Dark was you and that we were cousins, I wouldn't have accepted it."

_I don't know,_ Dark commented. _Making up_ s_omething like that takes a really good imagination. Truth is stranger than fiction, after all. _

"Yeah, it is kind of, uh…out there," Daisuke agreed.

Riku nodded but continued. "The thing I don't understand, though, is—why did you pretend to be dating Hiwatari-kun?"

Daisuke cast a furtive glance around before answering. Everyone within hearing range was studiously working…which probably meant that they were all listening intently.

He sighed.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to—" Riku said quickly.

"No, it's okay," he responded. "You see, it all started as a joke. I guess you asked Hiwatari-kun something about us?"

"Yeah," she said, remembering. "I asked him if he knew the reason that we broke up and if he had anything to do with it."

"Well, he said yes because he did know why, and he was the one who found out in the first place, so he did have something to do with it," Daisuke explained.

Her eyes widened as everything fell into place. "You mean—with the…I took that in the entirely wrong context, didn't I?"

"You did," he acknowledged.

"He could have said something!" Riku flared.

"And that was the joke," Daisuke concluded.

She stared at him blankly.

"He let you believe that to…well, to annoy me, actually," he told her.

She continued to stare. "And how is that funny?"

"Hiwatari-kun has an interesting sense of humor."

Riku folded her arms. "Your mother said he didn't have a sense of humor."

Daisuke sighed. "She would."

"So, if this was all a joke, why did you continue it?"

Daisuke sat back and looked at her gravely. "The thing you have to understand, Riku-san, is that you are a very popular person."

"So?" she blinked.

"So," Daisuke began, "When I broke up with you 'for no reason,' everyone took your side. No one would talk to me except Hiwatari-kun and Saehara, sort of."

Riku stared at him, remembering when Daisuke stopped eating with them, stopped talking with them…because she, and her sister, and everyone else, she realized with increasing shame, would just ignore him.

"I guess they did…I remember that." She looked at him with guilty eyes. "And I remember being glad about it, since it meant that you would be hurting just as much as me." Riku looked down at her folded hands. "It was mean and spiteful of me."

He continued. "Well, everyone started talking to me again after you thought that Hiwatari-kun and I were dating."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "They did?"

"Yeah, because now there was a reason I had broken up with you. And you were upset about it, but okay with it." Daisuke sighed and bent back to the diagram on the floor. "And I was selfish enough to not want to lose that again. Hiwatari-kun graciously agreed to pretend to date me until everything died down."

Riku realized with horror that she had, in essence, forced Daisuke to pretend to be gay to regain acceptance from his schoolmates. "Niwa-kun, I'm…I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know that doesn't change anything, but I am really, really sorry."

Daisuke smiled at the floor as he continued to trace the elaborate design. "Don't worry about it, Riku-san. It all worked out."

Riku smiled tentatively back at him, and the two worked in comfortable silence for a minute.

And then she sat back on her heels, frowning.

_Uh-oh,_ Dark said apprehensively.

"But," she asked in confusion. "If you were just pretending, then why did Risa say she saw you and Hiwatari-kun kissing?"

"What?" Emiko, who had been discreetly listening to the conversation, whipped her head around to stare at her son. "**What**?!"

Daisuke's face went dead white, and, with growing suspicion, her gaze flicked to the Hikari working on the other side of the room. He was pointedly ignoring them and carefully drawing the diagram …but he was faintly blushing.

Her face darkened.

"Emiko!" Kosuke appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Could you help me for a second? I need a second opinion on the translation."

She took a step forward. "Get Dad to do it, since he's the one who's going to be doing the ceremony anyway."

He placed a seemingly gentle hand on her shoulder, but her forward movement stopped. "Please."

"Kosuke," she said, her voice low and ominous.

"Emiko." It was no longer a request. "Not here."

Emiko glared at him for a moment, and then she shook off his hand and stalked up the stairs.

Kosuke smiled apologetically at the teens and followed her.

An uncomfortable silence fell as Riku and Risa glanced back and forth at the two boys with confused curiosity. Both boys were busily tracing the diagrams on the floor with almost obsessive attention to detail and ignoring the girls' glances.

Daiki entered the room and stopped dead at the tension that was almost visible in the dim basement. "Did I miss something?"

"No," the four teenagers said, almost as one.

XXXXX

Kosuke braced himself as he walked into the living room.

Sure enough, Emiko was waiting, pacing back and forth angrily. "Did you know?" she hissed.

Kosuke sighed deeply and shut the basement door behind him. "No, but I admit I did suspect something was up between them."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Emiko asked coolly, clearly reigning in her temper somewhat.

"Because I knew you would react like this," Kosuke replied just as coolly.

"He's a Hikari," she spat angrily.

Kosuke's mouth set. "Emiko, I love you dearly, but this inbred Niwa hatred for the Hikari is irrational."

"You don't understand," she huffed, plopping on the couch.

"Actually, I don't think you understand," Kosuke said quietly as he sat down next to her. "This is precisely why I wanted Daisuke raised in ignorance of the curse."

She turned toward him, mouth open to speak, but Kosuke laid a finger against her lips. "Let me speak my piece, okay?" he asked gently.

Emiko took in a deep breath, slowly let it out, and nodded.

"When I left," Kosuke began, "I asked you to not tell Daisuke about the Hikari, remember?"

She nodded again.  
"You trained him in the way of a phantom thief, as you had to, but Daisuke grew up ignorant of the reason. And as a result, he has none of the Niwa prejudices." Kosuke leaned forward and spoke intently. "And so, Daisuke reached out to a Hikari, not knowing he shouldn't, and now we are closer to ending this curse than any of the Niwa have ever been."

"But it isn't supposed to happen like this," she protested. "The Black Wings are **never** supposed to be unsealed, because the potential for destruction is—unthinkable! Horrible things will happen!"

"Horrible things are going to happen anyway," Kosuke said softly.

Emiko just stared at him.

Kosuke sighed, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and intense. "I know that you hate the Hikari, and I know that years of hate can't be thrown away in a day, but just forget for a moment everything you were told about them. Forget that the boy downstairs is a Hikari and think about **him** for a minute. He is a just a boy. A boy who has been orphaned, betrayed, and abandoned. A boy who is rebelling against ancient hatreds just as strong as yours to aid us." Emiko opened her mouth to speak, but Kosuke spoke right over her, eyes flashing in rare anger. "Hikari Satoshi is a boy who cares so much about Daisuke that he tried to **kill himself** in order to protect him. Think about that, Emiko, and tell me if you can hate him."

"But why him?" Emiko asked in utter frustration. "Out of everyone in the world, why did Daisuke choose him?"

Kosuke smiled slightly, a wry quirk of one side of his mouth. "Face it, Emiko, who would understand him better?"

There wasn't anything she could say to that.

"Why not him?" Kosuke asked gently. "Indeed, why anyone **but** him?"

"Um, excuse me," came a soft voice from the door. Risa was standing there, looking uncomfortable. "Niwa-san says that it's time to start, if you're ready."

"We'll be right there," Kosuke assured her, standing up as Risa disappeared.

Emiko remained on the couch, thinking.

"Emiko-san?" he inquired, concerned.

She flashed her husband a small smile, but her eyes were sad. "Just…give me a minute, okay?"

Kosuke smiled, and, taking her hand, laid a soft kiss on her knuckles. "It'll be okay, Emiko-san."

Her smile was slightly more genuine as she watched Kosuke walk down the stairs to the basement. Then, with a determined breath, she got up and followed.


	68. Chapter 32: December 24

**Chapter 32: December 24**

Three hours later, the various participants emerged from the basement.

"I'm so tired," Risa moaned.

Daisuke smiled at her encouragingly. "At least you can summon in German now."

"It'll be worse during the actual ceremony," came a cool voice behind them. Both turned to see Satoshi standing behind them, looking serious. "This was just practice, so no actual magic was being used. During the real ceremony, you'll have to expend energy to summon and maintain the circle."

The twins looked distinctly unenthusiastic.

Daisuke shot a mild glare at Satoshi. "It's not that bad. I'm sure they can do it."

"Of course," Satoshi agreed after a slight pause. "But they should be prepared."

"So just get a good night's sleep and eat well and you should be fine!" Daisuke said cheerfully.

"Okay…" Riku said slowly, with a sidelong glance at her sister.

"Tea's ready!" Towa chirped from the kitchen. The girls headed toward her gratefully.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Daisuke turned to Satoshi. "Are you trying to scare them?"

Satoshi regarded him impassively behind the glasses. "They have to know what they're getting into, Niwa. They've never worked with magic before, and they don't know what to expect. If they're not prepared, the ceremony could fail."

"But if you scare them away, the ceremony won't even get to start, and we'll be hopeless against Krad!" Daisuke protested.

"They won't leave. They're too stubborn," Satoshi observed with a glance towards the kitchen.

Daisuke followed his gaze and watched the girls laughing with Towa and his mother. "Maybe," he said hesitantly.

"Boys! Come get your tea!" Emiko called. The two approached the kitchen.

"What kind of tea is this?" they heard Riku ask. "It's an…interesting color."

Daisuke sighed. "Drink it and you'll feel better, Riku-san."

She cast him a skeptical look, but sipped the tea gingerly.

"Hikari-san!" Kosuke called. "Would you mind coming outside for a second?" Satoshi nodded as he handed Daisuke a cup. He took one for himself and walked off to find Kosuke.

"That was something else I wanted to know," Riku began as they moved into the living room.

Daisuke tensed as Dark moaned in his head.

"Why do your parents call Hiwatari 'Hikari?' Are they just messing up his name?"

Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief at the relatively innocuous question. "Well, Hiwatari-kun should probably tell you this, not me."

She looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Maybe, but…he's scary."

"No, he's not," the redhead objected.

"Maybe not to you," she retorted. "I just—don't really want to ask him if you can tell me instead."

Sighing, he sipped at the tea again. "All right, Riku-san. I'll tell you the basics. If you want to know anymore, you have to ask him, though. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Hikari is his real name. He was adopted a few years ago by someone named Hiwatari, and just changed names."

"Why?" she asked.

Daisuke shrugged. "He prefers Hiwatari."

Riku looked more confused. "So why do your parents call him otherwise?"

"Honestly?" Daisuke gave her a small smile. "I think Mom calls him Hikari because he doesn't like it. I'm not sure why Dad does."

"Oh." Still vaguely confused, Riku dropped the topic. "What else are we going to do today?"

"I'm not sure," Daisuke said, seizing on the change of subject. "Mom's gonna do a small lunch because she has something huge planned for dinner tonight. I guess we'll run through the ceremony once more, and then start getting stuff together for when we need it."

"I thought we were doing the ceremony tonight," Riku observed. "At least, that's what Hiwatari-kun said the other day."

The smile on Daisuke's face abruptly turned sheepish. "Oh, yeah. About that…"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, Niwa-kun?"

"Well, we can't really begin the ceremony until something else is done first," Daisuke told her. "And we don't know when that's going to happen. It may be tonight, it maybe be tomorrow. For all we know, it may be a year from now, though that's unlikely."

"Why didn't you say so?" Riku protested. "If we—"

The sound of shattering dishes interrupted her. Instantly, both Daisuke and Riku were on their feet, running toward the sound, which seemed to have come from the porch.

Daisuke screeched to a halt just outside the door, and Riku ran into his back. "Why'd you stop?" she demanded, trying to peer around him. He moved away, allowing her to see, and her mouth fell open in horror.

Risa was standing nearby, apparently having just stepped out to bring Kosuke and Satoshi some lunch. The tray of food and drink lay smashed at her feet where she had dropped it.

Kosuke was sitting at the picnic table, various first aid items scattered around him, while Satoshi was standing next to him, scowling faintly. His shirt was off, and a bandage completely swathed one lower arm. He was clutching the other arm tightly, and Riku swallowed hard as she noticed the deep, red gash that he was trying to hide from sight.

"W-what happened?" Risa whispered. Her eyes were glued to the wound.

Daisuke approached Satoshi's side. "Hiwatari-kun, what did you do?" He took the other teen's arm, examined it carefully and sighed. "You opened it again."

"I bumped into one of the boxes too hard," Satoshi responded quietly. "It's fine."

Kosuke smiled reassuringly at the girls. "It's all right, you two. You don't have to worry."

As Daisuke started re-wrapping the cut, Risa and Riku tentatively approached. "Hiwatari-kun…that looks awful," Risa commented in a low voice.

"It looks like you—well…" Riku couldn't finish the thought, especially when Daisuke gave her a subtle warning glance.

"Have no fear, Harada," Satoshi said calmly. "I will live to see another day."

The twins glanced at each other, having picked up the unspoken meaning of the sentence.

"Will one of you give me a hand?" Kosuke asked, bending down to pick up the remains of lunch.

Risa put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, Niwa-san, please let me get that! I'm so sorry!"

She hurried to his side, and Riku did so as well, casting one last glance at the boys. Satoshi stood still as Daisuke poked and prodded the bandage, making sure everything was okay. The look on his face was one of forced patience, but something in his eyes made Riku look again.

Was he…smiling?

"Riku-san?" Kosuke queried. "Are you coming?"

"Oh, yeah." Pushing the thought to the back of her mind where she could puzzle over it later, Riku followed them to the kitchen. They still had a lot to do today, and she was starving.

XXXXX

That evening, when Emiko finally clapped her hands and announced that everyone had done perfectly and it was time to get dinner ready, Daisuke was exhausted. Still, while the twins, Towa, and his mother were cooking, he slipped away from the clean-up work his father and Satoshi were doing downstairs and went up to his room. There, he sat, staring into his mirror. He could almost see Dark peering back at him, concerned.

_What's up, Daisuke?_

_I…haven't really had a chance to talk to you about all of this,_ Daisuke responded. _I mean, we've come up with a huge plan, and I know you said it was the only way, but—is it?_

_Do you really think I would go along with this if I know of another way? _Dark answered, raising an eyebrow.

Daisuke sighed. _I know…but we'll be locking you up with Krad in who-knows-what forever. I don't really want to do that._

Dark nodded agreement thoughtfully. _I understand; the idea of spending eternity with him isn't overly appealing to me, either. But this is the only thing we can do to stop him. _

_Wait._ Daisuke straightened in his chair. _Krad found a way to seal only himself into the Black Wings—can we do the same?_

_With my consciousness, you mean? _Dark didn't sound thrilled with the idea. _I don't think so._

_Why not?_

_Daisuke, Krad is desperate. He's more than willing to risk something like this if it will save him. I'm not,_ Dark said soberly. _If it fails, the town will be destroyed, and the ones I love will die. I won't put them in danger. _

Daisuke shook his head stubbornly. _But, if we all help you with the ceremony, it should be okay, right?_

_It doesn't matter how many people are in it; if it doesn't work, if his formula is wrong, it will have explosive magical repercussions and there's nothing you guys can do to stop it. _

Even though Daisuke knew it was all in his head, he still reached out and gently brushed the mirror's face. _I don't want you to go. _

_Ah, Daisuke, you sissy. _Dark was obviously embarrassed, but also moved. _Don't you start crying or anything. The commander will have my hide. _

Daisuke quickly dragged his sleeve across his eyes and sniffled once. _Maybe you're right. _

_Right? Of course I'm right!_ Dark said teasingly. _If Hiwatari thought I had said __**anything**__ to make you unhappy, he'd seal me himself. _

Slowly, a smile surfaced on the redhead's face. _I'll miss you, Dark,_ he said simply.

Dark smiled back. _I'll miss you, too._

And then Dark breathed in sharply. _Shit._

_What? _Daisuke asked, concerned, then he felt it too. A tremor seemed to begin at the very crown of his head and ran all the way down to his feet. _What was that?_

Dark's face grew hard and intense. _That was the Black Wings being unsealed. _

_No! Not already, _Daisuke gasped as he lunged out of his room and down the stairs. In his haste, he slammed into a person at the bottom. "Sorry!"

Satoshi turned to look at him, eyes wide and slightly panicked. "Niwa…I have to leave."

Daisuke reached a hand out to him, and felt him shaking slightly. "The rutile...?"

"It's not going to hold for long," Satoshi said with effort. "And I don't want to change into Krad in the middle of a house full of Niwa."

Daisuke felt his eyes widen. "Oh."

"Tell your parents what happened," he told him, and then headed out, saying humorlessly, "I guess I'll see you there."

"Wait, Hiwatari-kun!" The redhead snagged one sleeve, and Satoshi turned back. "Is everything ready?"

"As much as they can be," the other teen replied. "We can't do anything else now."

Daisuke nodded, and, impulsively, reached out to him. Satoshi drew back, so Daisuke pulled his hand back and awkwardly ran it through his hair. "Be careful," he said helplessly.

Satoshi looked at him for a long moment, nodded once, and was gone.

The redhead ran into the kitchen just in time to see Towa shudder and collapse to the floor. She changed to her bird form, bringing a gasp from the girls, and then slowly turned from pink to a nasty gray color. Worried, Daisuke shouldered Riku out of the way and dropped to his knees next to her, reaching out a hand.

"_**Don't touch that**_!" both Kosuke and Dark shouted at once. Daisuke jerked his hand back as Kosuke seized him by the shirt collar and yanked him away. His father held him tightly for a second before letting go.

"What's wrong with her?" Risa spoke up nervously.

"She's a Hikari artwork," Kosuke told her. "When the Black Wings is unsealed, it pulls in the energy from all Hikari artworks to help it regain its power. So, she's been drained of all the magical energy that gave her life."

Risa seemed horrified at the idea that the maid was a walking artwork, but before she could say anything else, Emiko and Daiki came running into the room.

"The art downstairs," she panted, "It's all…being drained."

Kosuke didn't look surprised. "All right, that's our cue." He turned to Daisuke. "Did Hikari-san leave?"

"Yeah," Daisuke replied. "He said he'd meet us there…but I'm not sure if he'll be able to make it."

Kosuke didn't say anything, but sadness reflected on his face for a moment before he pushed it away. "All right, you two, we need to get everything gathered up," he said to the twins. "And we need to hurry."

"Right!" The girls nodded simultaneously and ran for the downstairs, Daiki following behind.

"Is Dark ready?" Kosuke queried, looking back at Daisuke.

_You betcha,_ Dark responded, though his voice was much more subdued than usual.

"He says he's fine," Daisuke reported.

Emiko touched his shoulder softly. "And how are you, Dai-chan?"

He looked at her with an expression of gratitude for asking in his eyes. "I—I think I'll be okay, Mom. We talked about it earlier and…this is the only thing we can do to stop Krad."

"Okay." She squeezed his shoulder once and let go. "Then let's get moving."


	69. Chapter 33: December 24

**ASN: Sorry for the lateness. I was rereading the chapter prior to posting, and decided that half of it sucked horribly. I had to summon Lessa to help rewrite it. But here it is. Finally, and it in a (hopefully) much-less-sucky form. **

**Chapter 33: December 24**

Satoshi had left directions to the small storage room he had in mind for the Niwa to use with Kosuke, so they didn't have to worry about wandering aimlessly around the museum basement looking for it. They piled all their materials into the back of the Niwa's old car and were off within five minutes, crammed into the small five-seater like sardines.

Daisuke, who had slipped upstairs and changed into Dark's favorite outfit while everyone was preoccupied, sat fiddling with one of the straps, thinking. He hoped that this would work…because if it didn't, life was going to get very unpleasant for all of them.

"Niwa-kun," Riku, who was sitting on his right, broke into his thoughts quietly. "Towa-chan was…an artwork, right? Something that Dark stole once?"

"That's right," Daisuke told her absentmindedly. "We stole her earlier this year, and she decided to stay with us rather than be sealed with the other art. Since she's pretty harmless, we let her."

"She's a…**Hikari** artwork?" the girl asked carefully.

Daisuke sat up straight, abruptly giving her his full attention. "Riku-san, this isn't my—"

She waved a hand. "I know you told me to ask him, but he's not here." Her voice was steadily growing louder, and Risa, on the other side of Daisuke, looked at them curiously. "Is that why Hiwatari-kun knew so much about all of this? All the art Dark steals is from **his** family?"

"Riku-san—"

"I want to know!" she said shrilly. "You keep hiding things from us, Niwa-kun! How are we supposed to help if we don't know everything?!"

Daisuke started to say something, but a spasm of pain crossed his face, and he bent double, gasping.

"Niwa-kun!" Risa grabbed his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Kosuke…stop the car," a different voice spoke. "I think we go on alone from here."

Dark sat back up, brushing his hair out of his face. Emiko looked at him. "What happened, Dark?" she asked. "Did Daisuke…?"

"No, we didn't change purposely," Dark answered as he unfastened his seat belt. "The energy from the Black Wings pulled me out and pushed him back. It's calling everything magical that it hasn't already drained dry."

"We'll hurry," Kosuke told him. "Don't worry about us."

Dark nodded to him, then looked directly at Riku. "You're a great girl, Riku—but you ask too many questions. It's gonna get you in trouble."

He winked at her, but before she could reply, he had already turned to Risa. "Risa, thank you…for letting me see Rika one last time."

Risa nodded solemnly. "You're welcome, Dark-san."

He turned to Emiko, who had tears in her eyes. "Dark…" she began softly.

"Hey, now," he told her gently. "Don't fuss; it's not like you." He smiled broadly at her. "Don't let Kosuke or Daisuke talk you into changing too much, Emiko. You would have been a kick-ass host."

Startled into laughter, Emiko brushed a tear away as Dark looked at Daiki and Kosuke. "Take care of my girls," he said simply.

Then, with a jaunty wave, he darted out of the car, vaulted effortlessly over a chain-link fence, and was gone from sight.

There was silence for a moment before Kosuke shifted the car back into drive.

And then the world started to tremble.

XXXXX

It took all of Satoshi's impressive self-control to keep from running through the streets. The draw of the Black Wings was so strong it was almost a physical pain. He could feel the rutile's power fading, and Krad, awake now, had begun to actively try to weaken it. Until the rutile failed, however, Satoshi was still in control, and he used that time to push all thoughts and knowledge of the Niwas' plan into the back of his mind where Krad would be unable to access it.

And then the streets began to shake. Satoshi dove for a sturdy doorway and braced himself there, and watched helplessly as an earthquake triggered by a sudden release of intense magical power shook the city. Krad increased his pounding when he thought Satoshi was distracted. For a moment that seemed a lifetime, the destruction and chaos that the earthquake was causing was internally mirrored by Krad's psychic attacks.

Finally, the earthquake stopped, and Krad evidently decided to save his energy, ceasing his assault as well. Satoshi straightened in the doorway. A brief silence filled the air, and then the shouting and screaming began.

Satoshi began to run, passing scared families huddled outside their homes. Not much damage had been done, but the citizens were clearly terrified. Many people were shouting the names of their loved ones, searching for them, but there wasn't anything that Satoshi could do.

The Central Art Museum was locked, but that posed no problem for a person of Satoshi's capabilities. He didn't bother to lock the door behind him, but bolted down the stairs, taking them three at a time.

The Black Wings were housed in the basement, in a room that hadn't been touched by anyone save Hikari for over three hundred years.

Until now. The large iron door at the end of the dark, stone-walled corridor was ajar.

The pull was unbearable now, and Satoshi burst through the door and stopped in the middle of the room, panting slightly as his eyes darted around the room.

The Black Wings stood in its usual spot. Now, however, it was uncovered from its drape and its binding chains lay loose on the floor. Satoshi had never been tempted to look at the artwork that had cursed his family for generations and caused him indescribable pain, but seeing it managed to take his breath away in spite of everything.

The Black Wings was a statue carved from onyx, and so polished that the light danced on its surface. It was of a colossal, faceless being with triumphantly outspread wings. The statue stood with one hand reaching out to the sky, not as a gesture, but as if to seize the sun from its place.

And as Satoshi saw the Hikari masterwork for the first time, the only thing that came to mind was how appropriate the statue was to both curses.

The magic of the Black Wings was incredibly strong, and Satoshi could feel it calling to Krad, giving him power. He tensed.

"Why, hello, Satoshi!" said a cheerful voice. "I hear you've been trying to get in touch with me."

The boy turned and stared icily through his glasses at his guardian, who was casually leaning on the Edge of Sorrows. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" he demanded.

Hiwatari Kei shrugged. "I'm finally finishing what you could not."

"Enough people have died from our clans. I was not going to risk the lives of innocents, which is clearly something that you care nothing about," Satoshi snapped coldly.

"Nonsense," Hiwatari responded. "Why do you think I'm doing this?"

"That is something I've wondered," he responded dryly.

"You, Satoshi, have always had the power to make a difference," Hiwatari accused. "But you wouldn't use it."

Satoshi shook his head angrily. "I don't have the power, Krad does. And I can't **make** Krad do anything."

"That's because you don't have the ability."

"And you think you do?" he asked sarcastically.

The man smiled. "If I free him and complete the ceremony, Krad has promised to serve me. With him, I can solve Azumano's problems. I can make the difference you refuse to."

Satoshi laughed contemptuously. "You are a fool to believe that. Krad helps no one but himself."

"But Krad needs me to help him," Hiwatari reminded him. "My help now for his help later. It's a fair trade."

"As soon as the ceremony is complete, Krad will kill you," Satoshi said with utter conviction.

And then the rutile crumbled into tiny fragments, and Satoshi felt a searing pain in his chest. He hit the hard stone floor on his knees, pressing a hand to his breastbone as if he could physically block Krad from emerging.

Hiwatari smirked. "Well, in any case, I doubt you'll be around to see it."

And Satoshi felt the fire spread along his shoulder blades and the darkness of absolute whiteness overcome his vision for the last time.

XXXXX

Dark pounded down the streets, trying to ignore the destruction and chaos around him. He could feel the Black Wings pulling at him, a force too strong to resist. _Daisuke, this is taking too long._

_Everything's all ripped up because of the earthquake,_ Daisuke agreed, worry clear in his voice. _What should we do?_

The thief closed his eyes, but continued to run. _I'm sorry, Daisuke, but this is going to hurt._

He could feel Daisuke's apprehension, but he could almost see the redhead's ready smile. _Whatever you have to do._

And for the first time in over a hundred years, Dark summoned his wings. His real wings.

The thief could distantly feel the skin on his back stretch and tear before the wings burst from the back of his coat.

Daisuke winced in the back of his mind but said nothing.

Dark took a deep breath and launched himself into the air.

XXXXX

Hiwatari watched without comment as Krad brushed invisible dust from his coat sleeve. "He certainly put up a fight today."

Krad gave a disdainful look. "You do know what to do, correct?"

The smile disappeared from Hiwatari's face. "Do you?"

"Do not toy with me," Krad warned. "Are you prepared for the ceremony?"

Hiwatari gestures to the diagrams set up behind him. "Of course. An unsealing ceremony is not extraordinarily complicated."

Krad took a step forward. "Do not overestimate your abilities. The Edge of Sorrows is powerful beyond your imaginings."

The man let the insult slide by without changing expression, but not without notice. "I will not begin the ceremony until after you have Dark's complete attention. Then I will unseal the axe and give it to you so that you may defeat Dark as you deem necessary."

"I shall," Krad said with a small smile.

"Remember, don't kill him," Hiwatari warned. "You and Dark are the two halves of the Black Wings. If you kill Dark and his spirit is lost for another generation, then you cannot enter the Black Wings without him and you will have to wait a generation as well—perhaps forever, if Satoshi has no children."

Krad leveled a glare at him. "You need not warn me. I shall not kill Dark and the Niwa until the time is right."

"No, Krad—you must leave the Niwa to me." Hiwatari ran a finger along the axe handle. "When you were pulled from the Black Wings, you were in an incorporeal form, like spirits, and you have to reenter it as such. I will separate you from Satoshi and Dark from the Niwa, so that you shall be free to enter the Black Wings with Dark and the Edge of Sorrows. What happens from there is between you and Dark." He threw Krad a pointed look. "However, you do not have the time to kill the Niwa. Leave him and Satoshi to me."

"And what do you plan to do with them?" Krad studied him carefully, a look of disgust on his face. "Murdering children is no difficult task."

"That is not your concern," Hiwatari said calmly. "I will handle it. You simply make sure that you overpower Dark and become the Black Wings."

The look of disgust faded, replaced by a small, twisted smile. "Then he will simply be a voice in the back of my mind, drowned out by my more important thoughts. And I…I shall have the power of the Black Wings **and** the Edge of Sorrows at my disposal."

"At **our **disposal," Hiwatari corrected, his voice kept carefully bland.

The glance Krad gave him was unreadable. "Of course," the curse agreed after a long silence.

"Krad—"

The golden eyes narrowed. "He comes. Prepare yourself, mortal!" And he leaped into the air, his white wings spreading wide behind him as he raced to meet his other half in the final battle.

Hiwatari Kei watched him go, a calculating expression on his face. He was no fool. Satoshi had been right; Krad would kill him as soon as he was no longer needed. When his usefulness ran out, so would his life.

He smiled coldly.

XXXXX

Dark could feel Krad approaching, getting ready to meet him. _Are you ready, Daisuke? _

_Of course. Be careful, okay?_

Dark shook his head in mock disbelief. _I won't kill the commander, so calm down._

_I meant you, too. _

_Oh. _Dark took a deep breath. _Well…don't worry about me, I'll be fine. _

He could almost see Daisuke's nod of acceptance. _Then let's go!_

And Dark crashed through one of the windows of the Central Art Museum. From there, he soared through the halls, past glittering pottery, beautiful paintings, and seductive statues before arriving at last to the basement.

He could see Krad, waiting down at the end of the hall, in front of a large iron door. "Come, Dark Mousy!" he called. He held up a hand, and it began to glow with energy. "Shall we begin the end?"


	70. Chapter 34: December 24

ASN: Sorry about the late update. My internet was down yesterday. Why does everything I own suck?

AN: Cause you're lucky that way. Anyway, at this time we think it would be appropriate, because of the massive amount of time and effort involved, to thank our German translator.

ASN: It takes a special kind of person to be able to take "we'd like a binding ceremony that kinda sounds like this…" and turn it into the incantations that you will see below.

AN: So thanks. A thousand times, thanks. We love you.

**Chapter 34: December 24**

Hurriedly, the twins crawled around on the floor of a tiny, abandoned storage room, drawing the diagrams as fast as they dared. Emiko came through the door with the last of the supplies from the car. "All right, that's it," she said. "Kosuke, start lighting candles. Dad, do you have everything?"

Daiki looked at her from underneath the hood of his black robe. "I believe so."

"Good." She turned back to the girls. "How are we doing?"

"Done," Riku replied, standing up and dusting off her skirt.

Emiko nodded. "Great. Now, we are going to go as far as we can in the casting and then wait until we know Dark has managed to draw himself and Krad into the Black Wings. Kosuke, you signal when it's time."

"I know, Emiko," he said softly. "Just do what you can; the boys will handle the rest."

She took a deep breath. "All right. Girls, put these cloaks on. We need to get started."

XXXXX

Krad first attacks were furious but short and Dark managed to dodge each one. Then he put on a little more speed and flew directly at Krad. The blond's eyes widened.

Dark rammed into Krad, leading with his right shoulder. They fell backward through the doorway and into the room holding the Black Wings. Krad tumbled onto the floor.

"And how's the weather down there?" Dark taunted, hovering a couple meters above.

Krad's face twisted in a snarl, and he shot upward toward Dark. The thief hadn't been expecting him to move quite so fast, and didn't quite succeed in avoiding the punch Krad threw at him. It connected under his chin, sending him spiraling through the air.

"No jokes tonight, Dark," Krad hissed after him. "Bigger things are at stake than some mere painting."

Dark pulled himself back up to face the blond. "I know," he replied, more to himself than anyone else, before diving again, this time heading for Hiwatari Kei.

He didn't get too far before a blast from Krad sent him flying into a wall. "Your opponent is me, Dark Mousy!" he thundered. "Do not think of running away!"

Having managed to catch himself before hitting the ground, Dark rose back into the air. "If that's how you want to play," he said dangerously. He pulled a black feather out from nowhere and held it out in front of him. It began to glow. "Then let's play."

XXXXX

Emiko looked past the edges of her hood at the twins. The girls were making their way to the carefully blank circles at the cardinal points of the elaborately drawn diagram on the floor. She looked closer, concerned. The light from the dozens of candles on the floor flickered off of their faces. Both girls were pale, but seemed steady enough. Emiko sighed. The Harada twins' first experience with magic would be a trial by fire, but it couldn't be helped. It was time. She laid the two vials of blood—one Daisuke's, one Satoshi's—in the middle of the circle and nodded to her father as she stepped into her place.

"Exaudi nos, aeterne Deus," Daiki intoned. "Et mittere digneris sanctos Angelos tuum de caelis, qui protegat atque defendat omnes vocantes in hoc loco. Exaudi nos, aeterne Deus." Hear us, God eternal, and send Thy holy angels from heaven to protect and defend all who call You in this place. Hear us, God eternal.

Emiko and the girls replied in unison. "Exaudi nos, aeterne Deus." Hear us, God eternal.

The room became unnaturally hushed, as if all creation was listening. Daiki looked at Emiko expectantly.

She took a deep breath. "Erzengel Michael,Von dem brennenden Schwert, ich flehe Sie an. Hören unsere Bitte und geben ihre Macht. O Beschützer der Pforte von Paradies, Geben unserem Bannkreis die Kraft des Feuers." Archangel Michael, of the burning sword, I entreat you. Hear our plea and grant your strength. O protector of the gates of Paradise, grant the power of fire to our circle.

Emiko completed the invocation, and for a soul-sickening moment, nothing happened. And then the elaborate spiral of lines at her feet flared into bright flame, and became a three-centimeter-high fiery design around her feet.

"Exaudi nos," Daiki finished.

The woman looked over at Risa, the next one to speak. The girl's eyes shone uneasily underneath the black hood. Emiko nodded encouragingly.

"Erzengel Raphael, Heiliger Heiler," Risa began. "Ich flehe Sie an. Hören unsere Bitte und geben ihre Macht. O Herrscher des Winds und des Sturms,

Geben unserem Bannkreis die Kraft der Luft... "

XXXXX

Dark blinked away the after-image of the explosion he had loosed on Krad to see the white curse rubbing his shoulder.

"You will pay for that," he hissed, gathering a glowing sphere of energy between his hands.

The thief managed to avoid the blast, but the impact of the energy hitting the wall made the room shake.

_Dark!_

Dark looked up to see a spread of smaller globes heading toward him. _Shit! _He drew power desperately from the bond he and Daisuke shared, creating a barrier. The blasts battered the shield, but it held.

Krad scowled on the other side of the room and launched another, larger ball of energy. Dark tensed, but didn't move.

The blast missed completely, making a whistling sound as it flew over him. It impacted the stone wall above him.

The smart-ass comment about Krad's aim or lack thereof was on the tip of Dark's tongue when a horrible suspicion suddenly struck him. He looked up.

Large chunks of rubble from the whole in the wall were falling toward him with alarming rapidity, and Dark's barrier only protected him from frontal attacks.

_Oh…_ was the only thing he had time to say.

_**Dark!**_

A chunk of stone glanced off the side of Dark's head, sending the thief reeling, and another hit his wing. Pain screamed through him, and he plummeted toward the floor.

XXXXX

Riku swallowed hard as her turn approached. She could see the elements flow along the chalked diagrams at Emiko-san's and Risa's feet, and it made her stomach clench. Despite everything Niwa-kun had told her, despite all her once-erased memories that she had remembered from Dark, Riku still hadn't really believed in magic.

"Exaudi nos," Niwa-kun's grandfather—her grandfather—finished. He looked at her. Riku shot a quick glance at her sister. Risa looked entirely at ease, almost **serene**; with the winds she had summoned gently rippling the hem of her robe.

Riku's eyes narrowed in determination, and when she spoke, her voice was strong. "Erzengel Gabriel, Göttlicher Herold, Ich flehe Sie an. Hören unsere Bitte und geben ihre Macht. O Wärter der Kenntnisse und der Weisheit, Geben unserem Bannkreis die Kraft des Wassers."

When she finished, Riku cast a quick glance at the lines on the floor around her. As she watched, water began to seep from the intricate pattern inscribed around her, creating an unnaturally perfect circle at her feet.

She looked back up at her grandfather. He smiled at her briefly before beginning his own incantation.

"Exaudi nos. Erzengel Uriel, Der Todsengel, Ich flehe Sie an. Hören unsere Bitte und geben ihre Macht. O Führer der Seele bis zum letzten Ende, Geben unserem Bannkreis die Kraft der Erde."

And as Daiki summoned the last archangel, the angel of Earth and Death, Riku saw the lines around his feet go black. There was a slight rumble from the floor, and Daiki seemed to shrink slightly as the circle he was standing on sank into the ground a few centimeters.

"Exaudi nos," he finished.

"Exaudi nos," Riku and the other two chanted.

And then the carefully drawn diagram on the floor flared once with bright white light, and the room beyond the circle of lines grew hazy and distant.

"And now we wait," Daiki said quietly.

XXXXX

Dark levered himself up from the floor with effort, blood dripping from the side of his head. He paused in a crouching position among the bits of wood and rock, desperately trying to get the world to stop spinning around him. The thief vaguely heard Hiwatari Kei chanting in the background, but his entire attention was focused on the white curse slowly approaching him.

"You might as well admit it," Krad said in satisfaction, lightly touching down a few meters away. "I am superior to you. I always have been."

"Your ego is surpassed only by your mouth," Dark retorted, grabbing a chunk of stone from the floor next to him and heaving it at the white curse with all his strength.

Incredibly, the piece of stone hit Krad, knocking him back and giving Dark time to stagger to his feet. However, that was all the time he had before the infuriated curse rushed him.

Dark allowed himself to be carried backwards towards the stone wall by Krad's tackle, but right before he hit the wall, he jumped into the air, biting back the pain and forcing his wings to hold him up long enough for Krad to go underneath him. Krad, startled by the unorthodox maneuver, hesitated long enough for Dark to get behind him and slam the white curse into the wall.

"I've been evading you for centuries," Dark taunted, retreating back a few steps to admire Krad's inelegant sprawl on the floor. "What makes you think that you can defeat me now?"

"Because of you," was Krad's surprising answer. "You taught me. If you can not win, then change the rules."

Dark easily dodged the blast of energy that followed. He cast a glance toward the chanting man. "You need a human to help you?" the thief jeered. "How that must grate."

The white curse's eyes flashed, and he took to the air, hovering menacingly over Dark. "Your human gives you energy. You would never have escaped me without your Niwa's help. How is this different?"

"You have a human too, you know," Dark said conversationally as he tossed a blast of his own up at the curse.

The explosion shook some long pieces of wood from the ceiling, which Krad easily avoided. "My Satoshi-sama resists me, which is the fault of **your** human." The curse's eyes narrowed. "Both of you deserve to die for that."

Dark shook his head. "The Hikari kid always resisted you, even before he and Daisuke became friends. It's not our fault that your Tamers hate you."

Krad's face darkened, and he flew directly at Dark, a glow growing between his hands.

Dark stood his ground, facing the oncoming curse calmly.

_Um, Dark, I think he's gonna to ram that down your throat,_ came Daisuke's somewhat-nervous voice.

_I know,_ Dark answered, eyes narrowed as he carefully gauged the rapidly-shrinking distance between them.

_Dark…_

The thief didn't answer, but as soon as Krad was too close to stop, Dark leaned down, snatched one of the long pieces of wood that had fallen from the ceiling, and swung with all his might, impacting the white curse solidly across the ribs.

Krad hit the ground with an audible crunching sound.

Dark could feel Daisuke's wince in his mind, but he ignored it. The curse was getting up much sooner than Dark had hoped. Blood trickled down his face from where he had hit the floor. Krad quite deliberately reached up and wiped it away. He studied the blood on his gloves for a moment, then looked at Dark and smiled.

"Oh, that can't be good," Dark muttered.

Krad slowly took a step toward him. "This is the end, Dark Mousy. And when I was contemplating this plan, there was a moment when I wondered if I could end this feud. If I should. Because, after all, what would I do with all my time when I defeated you and there was no one left to fight?"

"Why, Krad, I never knew you cared," Dark said sarcastically.

_He's gonna do something; get ready,_ came Daisuke's worried voice.

_I always am,_ the thief responded, shifting his weight slightly.

"But then," Krad continued, "I realized that, even though you would no longer be here to battle against, I would still have the memory of crushing you. And I decided that memory would be enough."

"Go to hell," Dark snarled, lunging toward him.

Krad moved forward to meet him.

And then the world shattered.


	71. Chapter 35: December 24

ASN: We broke 500 reviews! Thank you!

**Chapter 35: December 24**

Daisuke had been watching worriedly in the back of Dark's head. He was giving Dark as much as energy as he could spare, recklessly draining himself dry. And he was sure if Dark had noticed how close Daisuke was to the edge, the thief would give Daisuke an earful. However, it was a mark of the intense concentration that the fight with Krad required that Dark hadn't noticed, but instead had gratefully taken everything Daisuke had given him.

The redhead wasn't stupid. He knew that draining his energy so low was dangerous, but this was the end, the last fight. There could be no holding back. Krad wasn't pulling any punches, but then again, neither was Dark. Daisuke winced with every blow that both Dark and Krad received. He knew that he would bear each injury Dark suffered, but every blow Dark gave Krad was one Hiwatari-kun would have to endure.

When Dark hit Krad with the wooden board, and Krad came up smiling, Daisuke was more than a little worried. _He's gonna do something; get ready,_ he warned.

_I always am_, came Dark's cocky reassurance.

Dark charged at Krad, and Daisuke braced for the impact.

And then, suddenly, in the midst of the fight, he heard Hiwatari Kei yell something in German.

A wave of magic that he could feel even within Dark's mind enveloped the two winged beings. Somehow, Daisuke felt like he was suddenly in the middle of a tornado, being pulled away with devastating force.

_Daisuke! _Dark yelled, and for the first time Daisuke could ever remember, the thief sounded panicked.

And then the magic had hold of him, and it felt as if every cell in his body was being ripped in half. And to some extent, it was.

XXXXX

Krad squeezed his eyes shut against the pain as the magic the human released rolled over him. He could feel the bond he had with Satoshi-sama stretching as if it was suddenly being pulled by an outside force.

And he knew with sudden, furious certainty exactly what the human that he thought he had fooled had done.

"No!" he roared, charging in the approximate direction of Hiwatari Kei.

And then the bond between him and his Tamer snapped, recoiling and slapping him with the magical backlash.

A wave of pain worse than anything Krad had ever felt washed through him, and when it finally receded, he opened his eyes to see Dark standing a meter or so away, pale.

At his feet lay the battered but unfortunately breathing body of the Niwa boy.

Krad looked down at the floor in front of him, and sure enough, Satoshi lay apparently unconscious, blood trickling from a cut on the side of his head that mirrored the one on Krad's own temple.

The white curse scowled and whirled on Hiwatari Kei. The human was standing in his corner of the room in the middle of his diagrams, clutching the axe protectively in front of him.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Krad snarled, advancing on the man.

The human surprisingly stood his ground. "What I had to."

Krad's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Perhaps you'd care to explain that…"

XXXXX

An insistent nudge in Satoshi's side roused the teen from his semi-conscious state. He opened his eyes to see Dark leaned over him. "Now's your chance. This is the best diversion you could ask for," he said urgently. He stood up and gestured to Daisuke. "You'll need to wake him up. I'll keep them from noticing you."

And with that, the thief headed towards the corner of the room where Krad was looming over Hiwatari Kei, who somehow looked much smaller than usual.

Satoshi didn't give the man a second thought and turned to Daisuke. "Niwa, wake up," he urged, shaking the redhead slightly.

Daisuke's eyes opened, but it took him a moment to focus. "Hiwatari-kun?"

Satoshi helped him sit up and looked deep into his eyes. "Do you remember what we have to do?"

"Yes," the teen said solemnly if somewhat roughly, and he pulled the small folding knife from his pocket.

The pale-haired commander took a deep breath. "Ready?"

Daisuke nodded firmly. "Let's do it."

XXXXX

The day before, Satoshi had pulled Daisuke aside for a moment.

"We need to have a back-up," he had stated without any introduction.

Daisuke had frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We don't know what Krad and Hiwatari will do," Satoshi had explained. "They're unknowns, and it is impossible to know exactly what they're planning. Therefore, we need to have a back-up plan in case everything goes wrong."

"What kind of back-up?"

Satoshi sighed. "We need to have a plan to seal Dark and Krad ourselves."

The redhead went pale. His eyes unfocused, a sure sign he was conversing with Dark, and finally Daisuke nodded. "Any ideas, Hiwatari-kun?"

"I know of a ceremony," the commander said softly, "But I need your help." He sketched out the main part of the plan in a few sentences and waited for the Niwa's comment.

Daisuke slowly shook his head. "Are you sure this is necessary, Hiwatari-kun?"

"I hope not," was Satoshi's honest answer. "But we have to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Risa had asked curiously as she entered the room.

Both boys had whirled to look at her.

Daisuke was the first to move, and he had smiled reassuringly. "Nothing, Harada-san. Did you need something?"

Risa looked unconvinced, but let it go. "Your mom wants to know where you two are. We're going run through the ceremony one more time."

"We'll be right there," Daisuke had assured her, and turned to Satoshi. "I'll be ready, Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi had nodded and followed Daisuke towards the basement.

XXXXX

And now Daisuke was rethinking his confident words. He hurt **everywhere**, and it was very disconcerting to look up for a second and see Dark in the opposite corner of the room. The thought seemed to burn within his mind, and he instinctively knew that he shouldn't think about it for too long. Instead, he drew a small folding knife from his pocket and pulled his attention back to the small, hastily-chalked diagram on the floor. Satoshi had drawn it completely from memory, and now he got up from his kneeling position. He turned to Daisuke and held out his hand, and wordlessly, the redhead handed him the knife. Satoshi took it and, without hesitation, scored a line across his palm. Satoshi handed it back, and Daisuke did the same.

"I first read about this ceremony several years ago," Satoshi said softly, watching the blood pool in his palm. "My ancestors tried using it to seal Krad once. It didn't work, and Krad killed everyone who'd been involved. My ancestors dismissed it as being not powerful enough." He looked up at Daisuke. "However, they didn't take into account the fact that sealing Krad would also cause Dark to be sealed as well, since both halves have to remain in balance. But they were using only Hikari in the ceremony. In order to seal both halves, I believe that the ceremony needs both families."

Daisuke nodded seriously, not trusting himself to speak.

Satoshi closed his eyes and with a quick flinging motion, cast the pooled blood in his hand across the diagram. Daisuke did the same.

The droplets of Hikari and Niwa blood flew across the diagram, curving to follow the shape as if pulled there by a magnetic force. The drops landed squarely on the chalked lines, causing the diagram to suddenly glow a bright crimson.

"Now what?" Daisuke asked hesitantly.

"Now we wait," Satoshi said simply.

The redhead frowned. "For what?"

"For Dark."

XXXXX

Hiwatari Kei pulled the axe closer to him as Krad approached. He was unsure of how much power the curse had retained after being separated from his Tamer, but Hiwatari was taking no chances. "Stay back," he warned.

Krad paused and cocked an elegant eyebrow at him. "What do you think you are doing, human?"

Kei raised an eyebrow right back. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

The white curse's eyes narrowed. "You meddle with events beyond your comprehension."

"I comprehend them just fine," Hiwatari retorted. "You, on the other hand, appear to have had some misconceptions about our relationship." He shook his head. "Did you really ever think I would let you take the power of the Black Wings as well as the Edge of Sorrows?"

"It would appear that I overestimated your intelligence," Krad said in a dangerous tone. "I didn't think you would do anything as foolish as to openly defy me."

Hiwatari shrugged. "I want to help this city, not destroy it. And I would trust neither you nor Dark with the kind of power sole control of the Black Wings would provide. Perhaps the true spirit of the Black Wings will be more amenable."

Krad's eyes widened as the true meaning of that statement became clear.

"Staub lässt sich wieder Staub sein..." Hiwatari began the chant that would seal both curses back into the Black Wings.

With a wordless cry of rage, Krad flew at Hiwatari.

The man raised the axe in front of him, pausing in his chant to mutter a quick spell. A protective barrier phased into existence around him.

Krad veered aside before he collided with the barrier.

A satisfied half-smile appeared on Hiwatari's face, and he resumed his chant.

And then the infuriated curse cast a spell of his own, pulling energy from himself instead of his Tamer, and attacked the barrier.

The shield buckled under the onslaught, and Hiwatari's smile faded into a look of concern.

With a small detonation, the shield exploded. Hiwatari threw up his hand to shield his eyes from the flash, and when he lowered his arm, Krad was right in front of him.

The curse backhanded him without a word, and Hiwatari flew backwards. The axe skidded into a corner. The man lunged for it, but Krad appeared in his way. He reached down and hauled the man up by his collar, lifting him off the floor easily. Krad drew his free hand back, and a small ball of crackling energy appeared in his palm.

And Hiwatari knew with sickening certainty that he had underestimated the power of the curses separate from their Tamers.

XXXXX

"How much longer?" Riku asked between gritted teeth, concentrating with all her might to keep her end of the circle intact. Hiwatari Satoshi had been right; keeping a magic circle intact for a long period of time was difficult. She could **feel** the energy draining out of her, leaving her exhausted and weak.

Daiki said nothing, but Riku could see a drop of sweat trickle down the side of his face.

"We have to keep the circle intact so that we can perform the ceremony as soon as Dark and Krad are sealed into the Black Wings," Emiko said shortly, the strain beginning to show on her face as well.

"When will that be?" Risa asked faintly.

Emiko looked grim.

XXXXX

"How can you touch me?" Hiwatari coughed, scrambling away from Krad's next attack.

Krad sniffed disdainfully. "I still have the energy I took from Satoshi-sama before you separated us to aid me. While I may not be corporeal for long…it will be long enough to take care of you."

He lashed out, catching Hiwatari in the stomach with his foot. The man gasped for breath.

With Krad currently distracted with beating the crap out of Hiwatari Kei, Dark seized the opportunity to head for the corner where the axe was lying unguarded. He got within three meters of it before he caught Krad's eye. Instantly, an attack was aimed his direction, and Dark dived out of the way.

"I'll deal with you in a moment," Krad hissed, turning back to the human in front of him. Hiwatari, in the brief seconds when Krad's attention was elsewhere, had grabbed a handful of dust from the rubble littering the floor and proceeded to toss it into Krad's eyes.

The blond reared back, snarling incomprehensibly, and Hiwatari bolted from his cornered position and lunged for the axe. He managed to lay two fingers on the handle before Krad seized him by the back of his shirt.

"That doesn't belong to you. It never belonged to you," Krad said maliciously. "You're not Hikari. You have no part here."

With that, he pivoted and threw Hiwatari at the closest wall as hard as he could. Hiwatari hit the wall with a nauseating crunch, and when he slid to the floor, he didn't get back up again.

Krad smiled and turned back to the axe. He took one step before Dark's attack sent him sprawling. The blond pulled himself up to a defensive crouch and looked up to see Dark standing over him, more serious than Krad had ever seen.

"I am not letting you have that axe," he said flatly.

"Try and stop me," Krad replied, and, shooting to his feet, brought his knee up with all the force he could muster to connect solidly with Dark's groin.

All the blood drained from Dark's face. Krad knocked him aside, reaching for the axe. A fairly large ball of energy struck the blond curse squarely between the shoulders, making him overshoot his target and land in an undignified heap.

Dark struggled back to his feet with some effort. "You fucking bastard," he said pleasantly, a tone completely at odds with the look of fury on his face, energy beginning to crackle between his fingers. "I would have never expected something so crude from you."

"And that is exactly why I did it," Krad responded vindictively. He held up a hand, forming a magical attack of his own. They glared at each other.

Off to the side, the Edge of Sorrows lay alone as each waited for the other to make his move.

XXXXX

Daisuke watched the fight and standoff in silence, the only sign of his nervousness being the tightening of his mouth. "Satoshi," he said finally, "Why is it taking so long?"

Satoshi cast a glance at him. "What?"

"The fights never lasted this long before," Daisuke told him. "Dark usually has won by now."

"They are finally equals, Daisuke," Satoshi said quietly. "Before, I was always fighting against Krad, holding him back. Now, it's simply one against the other…and they are evenly matched."

Daisuke looked back to the two curses. Dark finally seemed to be recovered from Krad's blow, but still neither moved. The stare-down was beginning to weigh on Daisuke's nerves. "Is that why Krad wants the axe?"

"Yes. It would give him the power needed to defeat Dark."

Daisuke seemed to consider this for a moment, but his brow furrowed. "If they're equal in power now," he began worriedly, "How do we know Dark is going to win?"

Satoshi watched the two curses carefully. "He doesn't have to."

XXXXX

Dark carefully gauged the distance between Krad and the axe, as well as between himself and the axe. They were both about equal distances from the axe, and Dark wasn't at all confident in his abilities to outfly Krad anymore. This called for something a tad unexpected. He smiled widely.

Krad saw and immediately went for the axe, using his wings to fly faster than he could have run, moving so quickly that he blurred.

Dark was also in the air, but the half-second it took for him to react had given Krad a significant lead. He strained, but knew even as he did so there was no way he could make up for the lost time.

So he reached deep inside, finding the last bit of magical energy he could spare, and formed a small but bright globe between his thumb and forefinger. With a careful flick and a prayer to whatever deity looked after fools and thieves, Dark sent the tiny ball of energy flying.

It flew straight and true…and hit Krad right in the ear.

The blond yelped, and faltered in his flight for one fatal second. That was all the time Dark needed to catch up.

The thief loosed a roundhouse kick just as Krad was in the process of turning around, and the blow caught the white curse squarely in the teeth. Krad landed on his backside and Dark dove for the axe.

His fingers closed around the handle, and as he immediately threw himself to the ground, clutching it tight, while Krad's angry attack whistled overhead.

Dark leapt back to his feet, holding the axe defensively in front of him.

Krad stopped in his tracks, the energy fading from his fingers. "You don't deserve that," he shouted.

"And what makes you think you do?" Dark responded with a shrug.

Krad sneered at him. "You don't know how to use it. You'll never be able to seal me with it."

The thief smiled cockily, but his eyes were bitter. "I know."

And with that, Dark turned and threw his last stolen Hikari artwork across the room.

The axe flew, end over end, heading directly for the stone wall.

Then a hand reached up and caught it.

Hikari Satoshi drew the Edge of Sorrows to his chest and began to chant. "Staub lässt sich wieder Staub sein, lässt der Geist weider Stein sein. Fesseln des Steins binden Ihnen fest. Sieh an! Deine Fesseln sind gebrochen! Du bist frei." Let dust return unto dust, let spirit return to stone. Chains of stone bind them fast. Behold! Your chains are broken! You are free.

"No!" Krad recognized the diagram on the floor almost instantly. He spread his wings, but before he could take flight, Dark tackled him from behind, pinning him to the ground.

"Enough, Krad!"

Satoshi finished his section, and Daisuke took over the chant. "Sieh an! Deine Fesseln sind gebrochen! Du bist frei."

"Don't you know what they're doing?!" Krad railed, thrashing and fighting against Dark's grip. "If they succeed, you'll be sealed, too!"

Dark smiled sadly as the spell continued. "It's the end, you said so yourself. We've overstayed our welcome here."

Satoshi raised the axe over his head with both hands. "Du bist frei."

Dark looked over Krad's frantically struggling form to meet Daisuke's gaze. The redhead looked almost if his soul was being torn in two. He held his hands up in the air. "Du bist frei," Daisuke repeated in a voice almost too broken to hear.

"Ihr seid frei," both boys chanted. Satoshi clasped the axe in both hands, high over his head.

"Goodbye," Dark whispered, looking directly into Daisuke's haunted eyes.

Satoshi brought the axe down into the middle of the blood-red diagram with all of his strength, and the metal shattered like glass.

A huge cloud of white light rolled forth from the diagram like an animate fog, and the magic headed straight for them, a light so bright that Dark could see both white and black within it.

Dark closed his eyes, and the wave of magic fell over himself and Krad.


	72. Chapter 36: December 24

**Chapter 36: December 24**

The entire museum shook with magical energy, and Kosuke had to steady himself against the rough stone wall.

The four Niwa in the circle were more protected, but they still felt the pulse. "What was that?" Risa cried.

"The Black Wings has been re-souled," Emiko said softly. "It's time!" She took a deep breath as Daiki gathered his energy for the banishment ceremony.

"Enthüllen uns den richtigen Pfad. Führen die verlorenen Wanderer zum Heim," Daiki chanted loudly.

The three females repeated the chant. "Enthüllen uns den richtigen Pfad. Führen die verlorenen Wanderer zum Heim." Reveal the true path to us. Lead the lost wanderers home.

The diagram at their feet began to pulse.

XXXXX

Daisuke watched in fascinated horror as Krad and Dark disappeared under the wave of magic he and Satoshi had summoned. In less than a second, the magic faded, and the curses were nowhere to be seen.

Somehow apprehensive, he turned back to Satoshi. The pale-haired teen was dead white, and had sunk to one knee, breathing heavily. Daisuke's eyes widened. "Hiwatari-kun!"

Satoshi held up a hand, eyes riveted on the Black Wings.

Daisuke looked at the statue. "Did our seal work?"

"Yes. Dark and Krad have been pulled back into the Black Wings," Satoshi said softly.

"But the Black Wings itself is not sealed?" Daisuke prodded.

Satoshi shook his head. "Your family's ceremony should banish the Black Wings. All we did was put Dark and Krad back into it where they belong."

There was a slight magical hum in the air, and both boys turned to see the Black Wings beginning to glow with an ominous grey light.

"What happens if the banishing ceremony doesn't work?" Daisuke asked, eyeing the statue nervously.

"I'm not sure," Satoshi admitted. "But I'm certain it won't be good."

XXXXX

Kosuke squinted as he watched the four Niwa struggle visibly to maintain the circle. Although the images were blurred within the circle, he could clearly see the look of determination on Emiko's face. As much as he admired her dedication, however, Kosuke knew enough about magic to know that mere stubbornness wouldn't be enough to maintain the circle. The Harada twins were unused to magic, and the ceremony had drained them to the point where they had nothing more to give. And when they lost control of their ends of the circle, the ceremony would fail, unleashing whatever the Black Wings had become on the city.

However, Kosuke thought grimly, since it was likely the backlash from the broken circle would kill them all, at least they wouldn't be around to see it.

His face set, Kosuke readied himself to approach the circle. It was possible that if he could touch Emiko within the circle, he could transfer some of his energy to her. It was equally possible that attempting to breach the circle would kill him, but Kosuke didn't see that he had much of a choice in the matter. He cautiously left his post by the wall and started around the circle towards Emiko. The barrier around the four Niwa was beginning to pulse irregularly; a sure sign that the circle was about to fail. Kosuke sped up, beginning to run.

As he passed Riku, however, a brief ghostly flash of white caught his eye. Despite the urgency, he found himself slowing to look.   
Standing behind the chanting girl was the transparent image of a girl with short blond hair, dressed all in white. She reached out and placed her hands on Riku's shoulders, and the heart-shaped necklace Riku wore suddenly snapped in half.

The circle flared back into life, and Daiki took control of the sudden increase in power. "Ihr seid frei," the man chanted in a strong voice. "Gehen zu euer wirklich Heim." You are free. Return to your true home.

The ghostly girl turned slightly away from the circle to gaze at the scholar.

Kosuke could only stare back, astonished.

The girl winked mischievously and faded away in a series of faint sparkles.

Daiki threw out his arms, releasing all the power the ceremony had invoked with a single shout. "**Discedo**!"

The lines around their feet burned with a light so bright that Kosuke had to throw his arm over his eyes so that he wouldn't go blind. And when the light died away, there were only four Niwa standing around a perfectly innocuous chalked diagram on the floor.

"Did it work?" Riku asked hesitantly.

"I think—" Daiki began, but then his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the floor.

As one, the three females screamed and rushed to his side, Kosuke close behind. Risa cradled his head in her lap as Emiko checked hastily for a pulse. As Kosuke knelt next to her, she sighed and looked up at him. "He's alive."

"Emiko…we need to go check the Black Wings," Kosuke said softly.

Her eyes widened. "Daisuke." She shot to her feet and started for the door. At the entrance to the storage room, she stopped. Emiko glanced back at Daiki, clearly torn between her concern for her father and her son.

Riku and Risa saw this. Both girls smiled reassuringly. "We'll watch Niwa-san, you go find Niwa-kun."

"Thank you," Emiko breathed, and ran out the door, Kosuke close behind.

XXXXX

After running through a labyrinth of corridors and shadowy rooms, Emiko and Kosuke came to the storage room of the Black Wings. Always the leader, Emiko knocked the door halfway off its hinges as she blasted through.

"Daisuke!" She paid no attention to the massive sculpture that was the Hikari masterwork; her eyes were only for her son, who was kneeling in front of the art next to Satoshi. "Are you okay?"

The redhead looked up at her, face scratched and bloody. "A little bruised," he admitted. "And I think Hiwatari-kun snapped a rib."

She fell to her knees beside Daisuke as Kosuke knelt to prod gently at Satoshi's side. "But—your back!"

Daisuke reached up to touch his shoulder and winced. "Oh…that's from Dark's wings."

"Are they both…?" Kosuke began, a touch of worry in his eyes.

Satoshi glanced at him. "Yes…they're gone."

At that, Emiko burst into tears and wrapped Daisuke in a fierce hug. "Mom!" he squeaked, surprised.

"Thank God you're okay," she whispered. He smiled and hugged her back.

Kosuke smiled indulgently and stood up. A flash of movement caught his eye, and he turned, instinctively placing himself in front of the others.

Hiwatari Kei didn't notice, as he was trying to slip out the door without jarring what seemed to be a broken shoulder too badly.

A hard look settled on Kosuke's face. He stepped forward, moving almost silently across the room to place himself squarely in Hiwatari's way.

The man stopped, cradling his shoulder a little more protectively. "Niwa," he stated.

Kosuke kept his face blank. "Hiwatari."

Hiwatari straightened defensively. "Don't even think about going to the police—they won't believe anything you say about me."

Although Kosuke smiled at the man, his eyes were cold. "I think…I understand you, Hiwatari."

The police commissioner looked wary. "Good. I'm glad we understand each other."

"No. I meant that I understand how hard it is to watch them, and realize that you'll never be a part of it—that you'll never really belong," Kosuke said simply. "Knowing that, even though you're involved in the feud, whether by adoption or marriage, the curse will never touch you. You will always be the outsider. You will always be the normal one. And normal can be so very, very dull."

Hiwatari stared at him, taken off guard by the sudden change in subject.

"Have you ever heard the Chinese curse, 'May you live in interesting times?'" Kosuke asked, taking a step forward.

And Hiwatari Kei, police commissioner of Azumano, age twenty-six, in the best of physical shape, found himself backing away from the seemingly innocuous middle-aged scholar.

Kosuke continued. "You can return to your dull, normal, everyday life and never contact any of us again. Or it can get interesting." He smiled coldly and gestured to Hiwatari's shoulder. "As you have no doubt discovered by now, interesting is not always a good thing."

"Are you threatening me?" Hiwatari shot back, attempting to sound unimpressed. He failed miserably.

All traces of humor disappeared from Kosuke's face. "Hikari Satoshi is going to stay with us now. And you are never to see him or talk to him in any way again."  
"I have legally adopted him," Hiwatari protested.

Kosuke took another step forward. "And you will now forget him until the day he comes of age and you give to him what is legally his. That shouldn't be too difficult; you haven't paid much attention to him, anyway."

Hiwatari opened his mouth to continue protesting…and instead found himself saying "Fine."

Kosuke stared at him impassively. "Goodbye, Hiwatari. I hope, for your sake, we never meet again."

The police commissioner nodded once and slipped past him out the door. Satisfied, Kosuke turned and walked back to his family. Emiko was still fussing over Daisuke, who was checking the freshly bleeding cuts on Satoshi's arms, who was staring directly at Kosuke and the door his guardian had just disappeared through.

He sat down next to the teen and smiled at him, gently probing the boy's injuries. "Daisuke was right, you have broken at least one rib, maybe two. We need to wrap them when we get home."

Satoshi wasn't distracted. "What did you tell him?"

Kosuke's smile faded. "Well, Hikari-san…I told him that he no longer had anything to do with the feud, and that he should leave us alone."

"And…" Something akin to fear was reflected in Satoshi's eyes. "What did he say?"

"He agreed."

"Good," the teen said faintly. "But…did he say anything about me?"

Kosuke studied him carefully. "I informed him that you're under our protection now, Hikari-san…if that's all right with you, of course."

Satoshi blinked once, obviously surprised. Then, he sighed in relief, shoulders relaxing. "If I could, Niwa-san."

The easy smile returned. "You're always welcome, Hikari-san. Come on, I think we should get out of here."

Ever attentive, Satoshi's glance flicked to the Black Wings. "But…"

Kosuke helped him stand as Emiko extended a hand to her son. "You're right. We should check it before we leave."

He moved to offer Satoshi a shoulder to lean on, but Daisuke beat him to it. Once they had made their way over to the statue, Satoshi gingerly reached out to touch it. He brushed it hesitantly at first, and then laid his full palm against it. "There's nothing here anymore," he determined. "It's been banished. The Black Wings is just a statue now."

"Good," Kosuke said firmly. "Let's get out of here."


	73. Chapter 37: December 24

**Chapter 37: December 24**

Daiki still hadn't awoken when the others made it back to the storage room, and the twins were beginning to get a little upset.

"He won't wake up," Risa told Emiko worriedly. "We've tried, but nothing's working."

Kosuke carefully picked the older man up, cradling him in his arms. "Unconsciousness brought on by magic is very different from normal cases," he told Risa softly as he headed toward the car. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

She followed him, still looking anxious.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked Daisuke and Satoshi. "You look horrible."

"We're fine," Daisuke assured her.

"It worked?"

He nodded. "Yeah…it worked."

Relieved, Riku smiled at him. "Good."

They quickly gathered up the various magical pieces spread around the room as Emiko quickly wiped away all traces of the diagrams. Just as they were heading out of the room, however, Riku stepped on something, crunching it beneath her foot.

"Oh!" She jumped back. On the floor, in even smaller pieces than before, were the remains of her necklace. "There it is!"

"What is it?" Daisuke asked, turning back.

"My necklace," Riku said sadly, picking up what little bits she could get. "It broke during the ceremony. I don't know why; it just snapped and fell off."

"May I?" Satoshi asked, holding out a hand for the pieces. She handed them over reluctantly and he cast a trained artist's eye over it. A troubled look came to his face. "Where did you get this, Harada?"

She blinked at him. "Mio Hio gave it to me. Why?"

"Is this the same Mio Hio we met at the picnic, Riku-san?" Kosuke asked, having returned from the car in time to hear the end of the conversation.

"Well…" Riku was obviously confused by now. "Why are you asking?"

Something creaked, and they all jumped.

"Come on, let's get moving," Kosuke said, gesturing them out the door. As they hurried through the halls, he turned back to Riku. "I saw—someone, during the last part of the ceremony. There wasn't enough energy to finish. For a moment, it looked as though the ceremony was going to fail, and a failed magical incantation has horrible repercussions."  
"Yes," Emiko agreed. "I remember. It was right before Dad started the closing verse. The circle was failing…and then it wasn't."

Kosuke nodded. "I was watching, and was moving to assist when I noticed what appeared to be an image of Mio Hio standing behind Riku-san. She placed her hands on your shoulders, Riku-san, and then your necklace snapped."

Riku's eyes widened. "She…she was there?"

"When she touched you, the circle stabilized," Kosuke finished. "I think…I think she gave her energy to help us."

"But why? How?" Daisuke asked as they slowly made their way up the stairs. "Hio-san left town awhile ago."

"No, she didn't."

Everyone looked at Satoshi, who was still leaning on Daisuke. "She didn't move away. She was…killed," he said after a pause.

"Killed?!" Riku looked horrified. "Who would do such a thing? And how do you know?"

Satoshi looked uncomfortable. "Harada, the artworks that Dark stole often had the potential to...come alive, to some degree. Some were harmless, some not so much, but they all had some hint of life about them."

Riku held up a hand, comprehension dawning. "Do you mean…Mio was a Hikari artwork, like Towa-chan?"

Obviously surprised by her words, Satoshi glanced at Daisuke, who shrugged uncomfortably. "She was asking questions in the car."

"Ah." The look Satoshi gave her was slightly more calculating, but he continued nonetheless. "Yes, Mio Hio was a Hikari artwork. From what I could tell, she was brought to life by my guardian, temporarily given a body, and told to kill Niwa."

Daisuke started, and both boys winced at his sudden movement. "Me?"

"Yes, you. That was his goal, Niwa—to defeat you and Dark." The look in Satoshi's eyes was cold. "No matter what I told him, he insisted on getting in my way."

"And…Mio?" Riku brought the conversation back around to her necklace before it could get any more disturbing. "What happened to her?"

"There was something about that necklace," Satoshi said. "She kept trying to give one half to you, remember, Niwa?"

Daisuke shuddered. "Yeah."

"My guess would be that, when she failed, she gave the necklace to Harada in hope that you would give it to him."

Riku's eyes grew wide. "She wanted me to hurt Niwa-kun?!"

"You would have had no idea, so it wouldn't have been your fault," Satoshi assured her. "But, if her spirit was in the necklace, I would assume it never happened."

"No…" As she had thought about the necklace, something had slowly started to surface in her memory. "I did try to give it to Niwa-kun. You put it on…and we put the pieces together…and I heard Mio scream your name. There was a flash, and then we were standing in the garden, and your half was gone." She glanced at Daisuke. "I didn't remember until now."

He concentrated. "I think…I think I remember what you're saying, but it's fuzzy."

Kosuke looked thoughtful. "The lack of memory would imply that Mio Hio sacrificed herself to keep Daisuke from being affected by whatever was triggered with that necklace."

"And she was pulled into the necklace instead," Satoshi continued the line of thought. "Additionally, during the ceremony, when it was about to fail, she spent the last of her energy to help."

"A brave girl," Emiko said softly. "I wish we could have saved her."

They came up to the car in thoughtful silence, Risa getting out from where she had been keeping watch over Daiki and coming to meet them. Suddenly, Riku brought up an important point. "Um…we're not going to all fit in the car."

Everyone stopped. "Hmmm…" Kosuke pursed his lips. "I hadn't thought of this."

"We squeezed six people in there, though it's only supposed to seat five," Daisuke said. "But, since Jii-chan isn't awake…"

"I can walk home," Kosuke offered. "Emiko can drive."

"But—"

"We'll walk, too," Riku offered suddenly. "Then Niwa-kun and Hiwatari-kun can ride, since they're hurt."

"You don't have to do that," Daisuke protested.

"Thank you, Riku-san," Emiko spoke up, ignoring her son's objection. "Are you sure you and Risa-san will be all right?"

"Yeah." She gave them all a big smile. "We'll have Niwa-san to make sure we don't get hurt."

"All right then." With her typical efficiency, Emiko had the boys in the car and comfortable before they could think of an alternate plan. "I'll come back for you as soon as I get them settled, all right?" she said to the three standing outside.

"Go on, Emiko-san," Kosuke said. "We're fine."

The car sped off. The three moved quickly, disappearing into the nearest residential section and out of sight before the first police car arrived in front of the museum.

XXXXX

As soon as his mom parked the car, Daisuke crawled out of the backseat and turned back to help Satoshi. The pale-haired teen waved Daisuke's hand away. "Go help your grandfather," he said softly. "I don't think your mom can carry him by herself."

Daisuke nodded and moved to the front seat, where Emiko was carefully checking the older man for any sign of consciousness. She noticed her son and smiled wearily. "He's still out cold."

"Come on, let's get him inside," Daisuke said gently.

Emiko shook her head. "You're hurt."

The redhead smiled. "What, this? I've gotten worse scrapes from your training traps."

Realizing the joke for what it was, Emiko grinned briefly. "In that case, you carry him and I'll open doors."

Daisuke made a face. "Mom, he's still taller than I am."

Together, they each looped one of Daiki's arms around their shoulders and carefully carried him inside. After tucking him into bed, Emiko turned her attention to her son.

"Now, Daisuke, let's see those wounds you got," she said briskly.

Daisuke's eyes widened as he remembered the other injured boy. "Satoshi! I left him in the car!"

Emiko sniffed. "If he's managed to chase after you this long, I'm sure he can move with a broken rib."

In a rare moment of irritation, Daisuke rolled his eyes and hurried back towards the car. However, on his way, he noticed a flash of movement from the kitchen. He stopped and peered around the doorframe to see Satoshi gingerly sitting on the edge of a chair, arms wrapped around his ribcage.

"Satoshi!" Daisuke approached him, brow furrowed in worry. "Are you okay?"

The teen raised an eyebrow. "You know, Niwa-kun, I've managed—"

Daisuke shook his head and waved a hand. "Don't say it, I get the picture," he said with a small grin.

Emiko appeared in the door, arms laden with bandages. "All right, Daisuke. Sit down and take your shirt off."

"Mom—" Daisuke began with a sigh.

She wagged a finger and glared at him. "No arguing. Sit."

Daisuke sat, cautiously easing the shirt over his raw shoulders. She 'tsked' when she saw the marks from Dark's wings, but she said nothing. Soon, the cuts were bandaged, the bruises iced, and a cup of tea was in Daisuke's hands.

And then Emiko turned to Satoshi. "Your turn."

He gave her a wary look. "I'm fine."

Her eyes narrowed. "Hikari. I'm trying to be nice. You're hurt."

Satoshi didn't move. "Niwa-san, I can take care of it."

"Don't make me take that shirt off for you," she warned.

Daisuke was making frantic hand motions behind his mother's back. "Don't argue!" he hissed at his friend.

Satoshi sighed deeply and gingerly took off his shirt. Emiko unrolled a length of bandage. "Hold your arms out," she instructed.

He did so and she wrapped the bandage around his ribs, binding them tightly. "Can you breathe?" she asked shortly.

Satoshi nodded, so she proceeded to the wounds on his shoulders. Her face tightened, just for a moment. "These are going to scar."

"I know," Satoshi replied flatly.

She finished in a business-like manner, and turned to the stove. Daisuke promptly handed her a cup of tea. "Thank you, Dai-chan," she said tiredly, and passed the cup to Satoshi. "I'm going to go sit with your grandfather."

"Mom," Daisuke interrupted, "Let us go. You should get some sleep."

Emiko paused in the doorway. "That's ridiculous. You're hurt."

"But you're exhausted," Daisuke argued. "You've been through an intense magical drain."

"So have you," Emiko retorted.

"But I'm younger, and I didn't have to hold a circle for **however** long," Daisuke continued. "I'll be fine. You really should go to bed."

"Daisuke…" Emiko said dangerously. "I'm your mother. Go to bed."

The door to the kitchen slid open, and Kosuke stepped in. "Both of you go to bed. **I'll** watch Daiki."

Emiko sighed. "Are the girls here?"

"Yes, they wanted to know if Daiki was okay," Kosuke said.

"He's still unconscious," Emiko told him worriedly. "Tell them we'll call when he wakes up."

Kosuke nodded. "Go to bed, Emiko-san."

She gave him a small smile. "All right." She gave Daisuke a firm glare. "Go to bed. Both of you," she added, looking at Satoshi.

"Let us finish our tea," Daisuke protested, holding up his cup.

She nodded and left. Kosuke poured a cup of tea for himself. "Tsubouchi-san is on his way to get the girls. Will you two go walk them out?"

"Sure." Daisuke drained his cup and stood. Satoshi pushed his away from him, barely touched, and got up as well.

"Tell Jii-chan…good night, for me," Daisuke said softly.

Kosuke gave him a soft smile. "I will."

The two boys headed into the living room where Riku and Risa sat, looking exhausted. "Jii-chan's still asleep," Daisuke told them. "Mom said she'd call when he woke up."

"All right," Riku replied with a tired smile, standing and stretching. "Come on, Risa, let's go."

Risa nodded. "I'm glad we could help, Niwa-kun," she said. They wandered to the door and waited for Tsubouchi to show. No one spoke; they were too tired for small talk.

Soon, the long black car pulled up, and Riku and Risa waved to Daisuke and Satoshi. "Bye."

"See you later," Daisuke replied. Satoshi inclined his head.

Riku headed for the car, but Risa lingered momentarily, studying Daisuke. To his surprise, she reached out suddenly and hugged him, hard. "Good night, Niwa-kun," she said in his ear. "And…don't be sad—I miss Dark-san too."

He blinked, surprised, and she pulled away, smiling briefly before hurrying to the car.

"What did she say?" Satoshi asked when the car had disappeared from sight.

"She told me not be sad," Daisuke told him as he retreated inside. "And she said…she said she would miss Dark."

Satoshi nodded and said nothing more as they headed upstairs. Daisuke made sure his friend had a blanket and was comfortable on the couch before crawling into his own bed. Right before the redhead fell into an exhausted sleep, however, he thought he heard Satoshi whisper something. He raised his head. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Satoshi repeated.

"For what?"

Satoshi was looking straight at him. "For you. And Dark."

Daisuke took a deep breath and forced himself to smile. "Thank you." He turned and laid his head back on his pillow. "Night."


	74. Chapter 38: December 25

**Chapter 38: December 25**

The late afternoon sun slanted in through Daisuke's window and the skylight, casting golden rays across the room. And right into Satoshi's eyes, waking him from his exhausted sleep.

He was not amused.

He rolled over on the couch, and a sharp pain in his side made him cough.

"Are you all right?" came the tired voice from Daisuke's bunk above. "You really shouldn't move around like that."

"Perhaps if your skylight had a curtain," Satoshi said dryly, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

He heard the redhead sigh. "Sorry, Sato—Hiwatari-kun."

Satoshi was too tired to make an issue out of Daisuke's slip.

"So how are your ribs?" Daisuke asked in concern.

The commander opened his eyes and looked up at the teen. Daisuke was lying in his bed, propped up on one elbow and staring down at him worriedly. Satoshi sighed and glanced away. "They're fine."

"Don't lie to me. Should I get you some pain medicine?"

Satoshi briefly considered the offer. "Maybe in a little while," he said at last.

"Okay." He heard Daisuke lie back down. Nothing more was said for a few minutes. Sounds came from the kitchen downstairs, but they were muffled, so Satoshi assumed they were being allowed to sleep as late as they liked.

As late as they liked…

"Niwa-kun?"

"Yeah?" Daisuke responded, sounding drowsy.

"What time is it?"

Daisuke shifted to check his watch, and when he replied, his voice was darkly amused. "Let's just say that, if we'd had school today, we would be in lots of trouble."

As tired as he was, Satoshi had to smile briefly at that.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep again, he heard Daisuke gasp. "Oh, no!"

Startled, Satoshi sat up, ignoring the pain in his side. "What is it, Niwa-kun?"

Daisuke turned to look at him, eyes wide with horror. "I just remembered—we stood up Saehara." There was an impatient banging on the front door that could be heard easily from Daisuke's room. "And I bet that's him now."

Satoshi blinked at Daisuke for a moment, unable to think of anything to say. Finally, he sighed and lay back down, pulling the blanket over his head in a moment of exhausted frustration.

There was a faint creak from downstairs as the front door opened. "Hello—oh, good afternoon, Saehara!" Emiko chirped brightly.

"Where is he, Niwa-san?" Saehara sounded very, very annoyed.

"What do you mean?"

"Daisuke said he'd come and hang with us, and he didn't show. Where is he?" Saehara demanded.

Emiko sighed resignedly. "Well, Saehara, they're upstairs, but—"

"**They**?!"

"Shit," Satoshi muttered, and pulled the blankets back down.

Sure enough, the stairs soon rattled with the sound of Saehara charging up them. "What do you guys think you're doi—" The reporter screeched to a halt in the doorway and stared at them. "Whoa. You look horrible."

"Thanks," Daisuke replied sarcastically. "Hello to you too."

"What happened?" Saehara asked, eyes wide as he edged into the room.

The two teens shared a quick look. "Uhhh, car accident!" Daisuke said quickly. "We got in a car accident last night. Real late. Hiwatari-kun broke a rib."

Saehara gave Satoshi a brief sideways glance, but turned all his attention back to Daisuke. "Your parents look okay…"

"We were rear-ended," Satoshi said quietly, slowly pulling himself to a sitting position.

Saehara involuntarily looked back at Satoshi as the pale-haired teen spoke, but this time, his gaze settled on him, and a look of rapidly growing horror appeared on his face. "My God, Hiwatari…"

Satoshi was suddenly and painfully aware of just how bad he looked. It wasn't just the bruises and the bandages on his arms; now his ribs were wrapped and a large series of bandages covered the wounds on his shoulders.

He pulled the blanket loose from the couch and wrapped it around himself, ignoring the reporter's incredulous glance.

"Hiwatari-kun protected me," Daisuke said softly, regaining Saehara's attention. "That's why he looks so much worse than me."

"Oh." Saehara sounded unusually subdued.

Nothing was said for a moment, but then the reporter's usual grin reappeared and a notebook materialized in his hand. "Tell me all about it."

Daisuke groaned. "No."

"Aw, come on," Saehara whined. "It's a good story! The noble sacrifice, the lover protecting you from harm! It shows a side of Hiwatari that no one has ever seen before!"

"Saehara," the redhead sighed, "Go away."

"Daisuke…" The reporter leveled his pen at him. "The entire school will want to know what's going on here. I have to provide them with the appropriate material."

"So just tell them we were in an accident, and let me answer questions when I come back," Daisuke suggested.

Saehara frowned. "But that's not fun."

"Dai-chan?" Emiko stuck her head in the room and smiled brightly. "How are you feeling?"

Daisuke cast a glance at Satoshi, who just rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Kinda tired, still," the redhead said.

"Come on, Saehara-kun," Emiko said, motioning to the reporter, "Leave them alone so they can sleep. I have cookies downstairs."

Saehara could be bribed. "Oh? Well…are you sure you two are okay?"

Daisuke gave him a big smile. "Yeah. I should be back in school by the time winter break's over."

"Okay then." He left, drawn to the kitchen, and Emiko turned back to the boys. "Can I get you anything?"

"We're fine, Mom. Thanks," Daisuke said. He motioned toward the place where Saehara had been standing. "For everything."

She smiled enigmatically. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you for a dinner."

XXXXX

Emiko puttered around the kitchen after shooing Saehara out the door, absent-mindedly attempting to help Towa with dinner. When Towa had to stop her from adding fish sauce to the salad, however, Emiko admitted to herself that perhaps this wasn't the best idea.

"Emiko-san?" Towa began hesitantly. "Why don't you go sit down or something? I can make dinner."

"No, I can help," Emiko assured her, stirring the rice with determined vigor. "It helps keep my mind occupied."

Towa smiled cheerfully. "In that case, I'll just leave it to you, then!" She bounced off before Emiko could say a word. Despite herself, the woman smiled. It was nice to see the cheerful maid back to normal.

Kosuke appeared in the door, and the smile slipped off her face. "Kosuke? What is it?"

The man sighed. "Your father is awake."

Emiko dropped her spoon and ran towards the door, but Kosuke reached out to stop her. "Emiko, wait—"

Heart pounding, Emiko pushed past him. "Dad?" She burst into the room. Daiki looked up, startled by her sudden presence. "Dad!" She moved to the bed to throw her arms around him.

Daiki scooted back on the bed slightly.

Emiko's heart stopped, and for a moment, she felt like she was teetering at the edge of something horrible. "Dad?"

He frowned up at her, confusion wrinkling his brow. "Do I know you?"

Emiko stopping breathing, and she backed away from her father in grief-stricken horror. She bumped into something and whirled.

Kosuke caught her and held her close. "Niwa Daiki," he said softly to the man in the bed, "Can you tell her the same thing you told me?"

The man sighed. "The last thing I remember was that I went upstairs for dinner. I was really upset about Mitsuragi-san rejecting me, and there was a sudden pain. It felt like my body was on fire." Daiki shrugged. "And then I woke up here. Everything else is a blank."

Emiko's brow furrowed. "Mitsuragi-san?"

"What day was this?" Kosuke prompted gently.

Daiki frowned. "Just a couple days after my birthday. My fourteenth birthday."

Her breath came in shuddering gasps, but Emiko could say nothing.

Kosuke sat down on one of the chairs next to the bed and pulled Emiko down next to him. "Niwa-san," he said softly. "That was over forty-five years ago."

The older man looked horrified. "Forty-five years?! What **happened** to me?"

Folding his hands, Kosuke rested his chin on them thoughtfully. "I believe what happened is that you lost your memories from the time that Dark appeared in your life to the time that we, with you leading us, sealed him."

"Dark? Phantom Thief Dark?" the man asked incredulously. "We sealed him?"

The younger man nodded. "The ceremony we used had a price, one that you agreed to pay. It appears to have been the loss of your memories."

"Forty-five years," Daiki looked overwhelmed. "Who are you, again?"

"Niwa Kosuke," he said, holding out his hand.

Daiki shook it gingerly.

"I'm your son-in-law," Kosuke continued. He motioned to Emiko, who was unable to speak. "This is your daughter, Emiko."

"Oh." Daiki looked up at her, but all Emiko could do was stare. A tense silence filled the room, and the older man fidgeted uncomfortably. "That's…a pretty name," he said helplessly.

Emiko couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up suddenly and bolted from the room. She blindly made her way back to the kitchen, unshed tears clouding her vision. Collapsing in one of the kitchen chairs, she buried her head in her arms and began to weep softly.

It didn't take long for Emiko to cry herself out. She'd always been a practical person, and they had all known that the ceremony would have a price. She ought to just be glad the ceremony didn't kill him.

Yes, she would just be glad to have to have him. And even if he didn't remember them, eventually he'd get accustomed to them all. Eventually. Emiko sighed deeply. Dinner. She had to finish dinner.

Emiko wearily raised her head from the table to see Satoshi standing cautiously in the door, a loose T-shirt that she recognized as Daisuke's carefully pulled on over the bandages. His eyes were blue and impassive, as usual, but there was a surprising bit of hesitancy behind them.

"You should be in bed," she said harshly, more harshly than she intended.

"I came down to get some aspirin. I heard Daiki-san was awake," he said softly. "Is he all right?"

Taking a deep breath, Emiko stood up and turned to the stove, busily beginning to stir the soup. "The ceremony erased all of his memories from the time he was fourteen to now," she said, inwardly proud of how cool and calm her voice was.

There was no sound from the door, and she finally looked back around to see if he'd left.

Satoshi was still standing in the door. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Emiko knew there was more that he could have said. She was glad that he didn't.

Not trusting herself to speak, she quickly turned back around to the stove. The rice had stuck to the bottom of the pot, and she busied herself trying to scrape what was still edible into a bowl.

"Mom?"

She turned to see Daisuke standing in the doorway in his pajamas. "Yes, Daisuke? What do you need?"

He frowned at her. "Nothing. Hiwatari-kun said that you needed me."

Emiko's throat grew tight, and she walked forward and carefully threw her arms around her son.

"Mom!" Daisuke's voice grew higher with anxiety. "What happened?"

Emiko drew back and sniffled slightly. "Your grandfather," she began.

"Is he all right?" the redhead asked, eyes wide.

"Physically, he's fine," Emiko assured him. "But…he's lost his memory."

"Oh," Daisuke said, surprised. "Lost his memory…of everything?"

"Everything about Dark and after," she told him. "The last thing he remembers is sometime after his fourteenth birthday."

Daisuke didn't say anything for a little bit. Finally, he took a deep breath and smiled sadly, hugging his mother again. "Well, at least he's okay. I mean, we can always fill in his memories. He's still Jii-chan. I'm just glad he's alive."

Emiko smiled. "Thank you, Dai-chan."

Another pair of arms wrapped around her, and she turned to see Kosuke looking down at her, his face tight with worry. "Are you okay?"

"No, but I will be," Emiko said, wiping her eyes. "Daisuke's right; at least we still have him with us."

Kosuke smiled at her, but her sadness was reflected in his eyes.

"Wait," Emiko said suddenly. "If you're in here, then who's with Dad?"

Kosuke shrugged. "Hikari-san."

The woman frowned. "Why?"

Both Daisuke and Kosuke sighed.

She ignored both of them and, frowning, walked toward her father's room. She could hear soft voices from the partially-closed door, and her curiosity overrode her irritation. She slowly, unobtrusively pushed the door open to see Satoshi talking to her father.

"And one of his first thefts was a painting. This painting had the tendency to enrapture its viewers. It became all they could think about," Satoshi said. "So Dark stole it, and it was probably better off stolen. The police didn't agree, though. They chased Dark through the streets and the park for almost an hour before they finally gave up."

Daiki smiled. "Dark did that?"

"You and Dark did that," Satoshi corrected.

The older man sighed, but gave the teen a sideways smile. "Sounds like it was fun."

Satoshi shrugged. "Dark always seemed to enjoy it." He looked up and his eyes locked with Emiko's own. "Niwa-san." He stood up. "Is there something you need?"

"You really should be in bed, and Dad ought to rest," she said woodenly.

The pale-haired teen nodded to her, then turned back to Daiki. "I'll come back later."

The man smiled at the Hikari. "You do that."

Satoshi left without another word, brushing past her. She turned back to her father.

"Are you okay?"

Daiki shrugged. "As okay as I'm going to be. He seems like a good kid. Who is he?"

"Hikari Satoshi," Emiko told him softly.

"Really?" Daiki said with interest. "I remember my parents talking about Hikari, but I'd never actually met one before. He seemed nice enough."

Emiko smiled, though her heart wasn't in it. "Do you want something? Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine," the older man said gently. "I think I'd like to get some rest, though."

"Of course," Emiko said softly. She stepped out and pulled the door shut. As she turned, however, she saw Daisuke standing behind her.

"Can I talk to him?" he asked softly.

Emiko sighed deeply. "He wanted to rest."

"Oh." Daisuke looked crestfallen, and Emiko reached out and touched his shoulder. "Give him some time, Daisuke."

The teen turned to go back upstairs. "Yeah. Time."


	75. Chapter 39: December 26

ASN: Yeah, this chapter is short. We know, and we're sorry.

AN: But the next chapter will be a nice sweet SatoDai scene. It should be worth the wait.

ASN: Don't you think?

**Chapter 39: December 26**

The next morning, Daisuke was just getting up from the breakfast table when he noticed the tray sitting on the kitchen counter. "Mom, is that for Jii-chan?"

"Yes," she replied, laying the last piece of toast onto it. "Do you want to take it in, or shall I?"

"I can," he told her. "Then I'll run up and check on Hiwatari-kun."

She waved a spoon at him in mock disapproval. "No running anywhere, young man."

He grinned at her, glad that she had regained her humor, and grabbed the tray, heading toward his grandfather's room. Just as he turned the corner, though, he ran into someone. The tray slid from his hands, and only his heightened reaction time saved the toast from meeting an untimely demise.

"Nice catch," Daiki said calmly. He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you okay? I'm sorry about that."

"No, it's okay." Daisuke waved one hand and almost dropped the tray again.

Daiki took it from him with a small smile. "Is this for me?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

His grandfather sighed softly. "I'm not an invalid."

Suddenly unsure of himself, Daisuke shrugged. "I guess not…sorry."

"Don't apologize; it's not your fault." Daiki took a step forward, but when he glanced back at Daisuke, he looked a little lost. "The kitchen **is** this way, right?"

"Yeah, follow me." Daisuke headed back toward the table. Daiki followed, talking to fill the awkward silence.

"This looks really good. I guess Emiko didn't inherit my cooking skills."

Daisuke smiled at that.

Daiki settled down at the table and waved at the seat across from him. "Go ahead and sit down. You must be related; you look just like me. At least, the way I looked when I was fourteen."

The redhead nodded, and smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Daiki shrugged and dug in. "If your luck with girls is anything like mine, I don't see what there is to thank me about."

Daisuke grinned widely. "Yeah, I had some rough times for a while. Dark—" The smile suddenly faded. "Dark helped me a lot," he finished more quietly.

"You were Dark's host?" Daiki asked, interested. "So you must be a direct descendent, then."

Daisuke tried to keep the hurt from his expression, but he wasn't sure he succeeded. "I'm your grandson, Daisuke."

"Oh." Daiki swallowed his mouthful. "I…I didn't remember."

"I know."

Neither said anything for a moment.

"What do you remember?" Daisuke asked at last.

Daiki shrugged. "It was a few days after my birthday, and the girl I liked had just started dating someone else, even though I had told her I liked her. I came home, distraught…and woke up here."

"Wow." Daisuke looked down at the table. "So, you don't remember anything about Dark, or my grandmother, or Mom?"

"Well," Daiki sighed. "Emiko…seems really familiar sometimes, like I should recognize her. But that's all. As for Dark, I don't even know what he looks like."

Daisuke smiled. "I can tell you."

And as he described Dark to his grandfather, complete with facial expressions and large arm movements, something deep inside of him eased slightly. Talking about Dark almost seemed to make him real and present again. As Daisuke related detailed accounts of the thief's personality to Daiki, the pain inside him seemed to fade…for the moment.


	76. Chapter 40: December 28

ASN: Sorry for the delay. Again. I've got a million and one things coming up and I'm starting to get a little frazzled.

AN: A little?! Pay no attention to her; she's going stark raving bonkers. A little indeed.

ASN: Well, you could start putting these up yourself. That would be helpful.

AN: Yeah, but then I wouldn't get to see you running around acting stark raving bonkers. It's kind of funny, actually. But enough sisterly banter. Updates have been kind of screwy lately, and we do apologize. However, to give you something to do while waiting…we've started our own livejournal account since we've been having so much technical trouble with this site. Eventually, when we get some spare time—

ASN: (breaks into despairing, somewhat hysterical laughter…)

AN: --We'll post all our stories there. In the meantime, we'll keep posting here. We are running a sort of challenge of our own from that page, so if any of you are artistically inclined, please visit. The address is on our profile. And now on to the sweet SatoDai scene…

**Chapter 40: December 28**

Satoshi suddenly snapped awake. He lay staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out what had woken him up.

A small whimper came from Daisuke's bunk bed.

Satoshi flipped back the blankets and was off the sofa and on the ladder beside Daisuke's bed within seconds. "Niwa?"

Daisuke was asleep with a deep frown on his face, and he was shaking slightly. But more disturbing was the fact that when Satoshi reached down to brush the sweat-soaked bangs back, moonlight fell on the redhead's face to reveal the boy's eyes squeezed so tightly shut that tears were leaking out onto his pillow.

Greatly concerned, Satoshi reached over and touched Daisuke's shoulder. "Niwa? You're dreaming."

Daisuke flinched away from his touch and moaned as if his soul had ripped in two.

"Daisuke!" Satoshi leaned down and shook him gently but insistently. "Wake up!"

The redhead's eyes flew open and he sat straight up in bed, gasping. "Dark!"

Satoshi frowned. "Daisuke?"

Daisuke turned his gaze to Satoshi in horror as realization struck him. For a second, Satoshi saw a sorrow so black that he felt it deep within his own soul.

"He's gone," Daisuke whispered, and he burst into tears.

Satoshi couldn't fight the uncharacteristic feeling of panic. "Daisuke!" Ignoring the twinge of pain from his side, Satoshi pulled himself up onto Daisuke's bed to sit beside him.

Taking a few deep breaths, Daisuke obviously forced himself to stop crying. "It was a dream," he muttered hoarsely, dragging a hand across his eyes. "Just a dream."

Hesitantly, Satoshi reached out and touched his shoulder briefly. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Daisuke answered after a moment. He gave Satoshi an obviously forced smile. "Nightmares, that's all. Forget it."

Satoshi frowned at him. "Niwa, you were practically hysterical."

Daisuke glanced down at the blanket. "Sorry I woke you."

Satoshi knew he wasn't good with people and he generally didn't care. When usually faced with people who were reluctant to speak of something, Satoshi would either force them to spit it out or dismiss it as being unnecessary and therefore unimportant. This was different.

It was Daisuke.

"What…what were you dreaming about, Daisuke?" he asked hesitantly. "What about Dark?"

Daisuke's hands tightened in the blanket, but he stubbornly shook his head. "It was just a stupid nightmare. Dark can take care of himself." He glanced shakily at Satoshi. "Right?"

"Tell me what happened," Satoshi said softly.

Daisuke looked back down again. "It…it was really dark, like a night with a new moon. Dark was…was with me, and we were flying. At first, we were both really relaxed, but as we flew, we got more and more uneasy. Soon, it was like…like we were running from something. Then something hit us from behind."

He looked up at Satoshi, amber gaze searching his face. "It was Krad."

Satoshi closed his eyes, avoiding the redhead's stare. He thought he knew where this was going. "And…?"

"And," Daisuke swallowed. "Well, suddenly I was on the outside, watching. Watching as Krad attacked him, over and over…" His voice was getting lower and more ragged as tears began to well up in his eyes again. "And Dark was screaming, like he had when Krad drained us. He was hurt, **so** hurt and I was just watching. Watching as Krad knocked him to the ground, shattered his wings, made him bleed—"

"Daisuke," Satoshi said softly, trying to stop the redhead's increasingly frantic babble.

"—And just when Krad was getting ready to hit him one final time, he looked straight at me. And laughed. And then he—" Daisuke's voice broke. "He snapped Dark's neck."

Satoshi hadn't realized that he'd reached out and gently pried Daisuke's hands off the covers until the redhead tightened his grip on his fingers. "And I woke up and called for Dark…and he didn't answer and he's never going to answer again. He's gone, Satoshi."

For once in his life, Satoshi had no idea what to say. There was nothing **to** say to ease Daisuke's pain. He certainly couldn't claim that he shared it.

The redhead was still crying, though he was now completely silent. Satoshi studied him for a moment in concern. "Daisuke…" he said finally. "It was a dream."

"I know," Daisuke responded roughly, "but who knows how far off it actually is?"

Confused, Satoshi blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

Daisuke pulled Satoshi's hands a little closer. "They hate each other, Satoshi. And we sealed them. Together. For all we know, they're fighting right now. Maybe he is dead—maybe it wasn't a dream." Horror was beginning to creep into the redhead's expression. "What if—I mean, we're connected by our very genes, Satoshi. Dark could easily tell where I was and what I was thinking if he tried. Maybe he **is** dead, and the dream was like, a warning or something. Or maybe he's going to die."

Daisuke looked at him, panicked, tears still fresh on his face. "Oh, God. What if he **dies** because we sealed him in there?"

Satoshi shook his head. "This is all speculation, Niwa. We don't know what happened to either of them, but…the Black Wings is where they are supposed to be. We banished it far from here, and nothing is going to harm it."

"But—"

"It was a dream," Satoshi said softly. "Only a dream. As you said, Dark can take care of himself."

Daisuke took a deep, shuddering breath. "I know…"

Satoshi carefully detangled his hand from Daisuke's grip. He originally had intended to just pull away, but for some reason, he found himself reaching up and touching Daisuke's cheek. "I'm sure Dark's fine, Daisuke," he said softly.

Daisuke looked at him intently for a moment before reaching out and pulling Satoshi into a tight embrace. Surprised, Satoshi didn't pull away, and the redhead buried his face into his shoulder, sniffling again. "I miss him…" he choked out, voice muffled.

Gently, tentatively, Satoshi wrapped his arms around the redhead. "I'm certain he misses you, too, Daisuke," he said softly and with complete honesty.

Nothing more was said, as Daisuke continued to cry faintly, and Satoshi sat there holding him, not wanting to disturb him. Finally, the redhead quieted.

"Niwa?" Satoshi queried.

He didn't move.

"Niwa, we need to get back to bed…" Satoshi's voice trailed off as he realized that Daisuke had beaten him to that, having cried himself to sleep.

On top of Satoshi.

As carefully as possible, Satoshi tried to pull himself out from under the red-haired teen. Daisuke simply murmured in distress without waking and snagged his sleeve with a surprising grip.

"Daisuke…" Satoshi sighed in resignation and leaned back, wincing as his raw shoulders brushed the wall. He made himself as comfortable as possible, pulling Daisuke's blanket up around the two of them.

Satoshi had to smile wryly as he realized how odd they must look; he leaning against the wall and Daisuke curled up asleep against his chest, fingers clenched tight on Satoshi's shirt.

He just sincerely hoped Niwa Emiko didn't come to wake them up the next morning.


	77. Chapter 41: December 29

**Chapter 41: December 29**

Kosuke took a deep sip from his mug of tea as he gently opened the door to Daisuke's room. "Boys, it's time to—"

He stopped, blinking once in surprise at the scene in front of him. Quietly and without a single change in expression, he shut the door and took three giant steps down the stairs. Then he looked back up at the door and shouted, "Boys! It's time for breakfast!"

Kosuke heard a faint squawk of surprise from his son's room. A smile slowly appeared on his face, and he continued down the stairs.


	78. Chapter 42: December 31

Chapter 42: December 31

Daisuke came down the stairs one morning, yawning all the way down. He started towards the kitchen, but frowned when he realized Satoshi wasn't behind him. The redhead turned to see Satoshi carefully making his way down the stairs.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

The pale-haired teen sent him a small half-smile. "I can't bounce down the steps like you, Niwa."

"Oh," Daisuke said sympathetically. "Yeah, I bet that does hurt your ribs, doesn't it?"

"It's all right," Satoshi said softly, stepping down and walking to the waiting redhead.

Emiko glanced up from the stove and looked back down, stirring breakfast. Kosuke looked up from his paper as the two boys entered the kitchen. "Good morning. Hey, Daisuke, turn around."

"Why?" Daisuke asked, doing so.

His father carefully loosened the bandages on Daisuke's shoulders. "It's been almost a week. These should be about healed." The man nodded as he gently probed the area.

Emiko moved from her spot by the stove to examine the wounds as well. "They look pretty good. You can leave off the bandages if you want. Just don't lift anything really heavy or you'll tear them open again."

Daisuke nodded and sat down at the table, grinning as he picked up his tea. "It'll be nice to lose my last bandages. It was taking me almost half an hour to get everything wrapped back up after showers."

Both his parents smiled indulgently, and then Kosuke turned to Satoshi. "Your shoulders should be about the same. Unfortunately, your ribs are going to take—"

"About six weeks to heal," Satoshi finished. "I know."

Kosuke smiled wryly. "From experience?"

The teen shrugged. "Best to be prepared." He sat down at the table, and Daisuke could clearly see the bandages on Satoshi's shoulders move under the loose shirt.

Apparently Kosuke did as well. "Are you going to need help getting those off?" he asked. "It'd be hard to do it yourself."

"I'll be fine," Satoshi replied. "The offer is appreciated, though."

The older man frowned. "It's okay to ask for help, Hikari-san. We're all willing to help you here."

Emiko sniffed. The sound was soft, but Daisuke saw Satoshi's eyes swivel to her, and he knew that Satoshi had heard it.

"Thank you, but actually," the pale-haired teen began, standing, "I believe that I have recovered enough to go back to my apartment. I've imposed on your hospitality long enough, and you have others to care for besides me."

Emiko stopped stirring, but said nothing.

Daisuke's mouth dropped open. "You can't leave!" he blurted, setting his tea back on the table with a thud.

"It's no imposition to us," Kosuke added immediately. "And like Daisuke said, you can't leave. You're not healed enough to live by yourself."

"I'll be all right," Satoshi insisted stubbornly. "I've done it before."

"You can barely walk!" Daisuke retorted.

Satoshi's eyes narrowed. "I can walk just fine."

"There's something both of you are forgetting," Kosuke interrupted smoothly. "The question isn't **can** Hikari-san return to his apartment; it's **should** he?"

All three stared at him blankly.

"Hiwatari Kei promised to stay away from you, but do any of us trust him to keep that promise?" Kosuke asked gently.

Satoshi's brow wrinkled slightly in thought.

"And he has a key, doesn't he?" Daisuke asked suddenly, turning to Satoshi. "I think you said he did."

The pale-haired teen nodded slowly. "He does. But locks could be changed."

"And apartment managers could be bribed," Kosuke said softly. "Besides, who pays rent for that apartment? You or Hiwatari?"

Satoshi's face grew distant. "He does. Or rather, he did. He may not anymore."

"Precisely," Kosuke said firmly. "I don't think that you would be safe there, personally."

Satoshi hesitated for a moment, but then his face hardened and he shook his head. "Hiwatari Kei wouldn't dare to try anything now. If I stayed here, it would be an unnecessary burden on you. Besides, you have Daiki-san to care for."

"That's true," Emiko said softly.

Kosuke shot her a look. "But Hikari-san helps with Daiki a great deal, and he doesn't require a lot of help himself. It would actually be easier if he stayed."

Emiko scowled and turned back to the stove.

Kosuke turned back to the two teenagers. "Hikari-san," he began gently. "If you don't wish to stay with us, it's all right. However, I can't let you go back to that apartment. It's too vulnerable, and Hiwatari did try to kill you. If you want another place, we can look for one, but I'm going to have to ask that you stay here until we find it."

For one of the first times Daisuke could ever remember, Satoshi looked somewhat uncertain. "If you think so," he said hesitantly.

Kosuke nodded, and Daisuke followed suit. "Stay with us, Hiwatari-kun. For a while, at least."

Satoshi's eyes flicked between Daisuke and Kosuke, but he finally nodded. "All right. But just until I can find a place," he clarified quickly.

Kosuke looked up at Emiko. "Is that all right with you?" he asked softly.

Daisuke could see his mother's shoulders stiffen. "It sounds like you've made your minds up," she said tightly, continuing to stir.

Kosuke sighed, but then smiled and turned to Satoshi. "In that case, you should probably have a more comfortable bed than Daisuke's couch. Let's go see if we can find you a place to sleep."

Satoshi obediently got up and followed Kosuke out the door, but before he left, he glanced back over his shoulder at Emiko.

The teen's face was carefully expressionless, but Daisuke could see the faint, barely noticeable, hurt bewilderment in Satoshi's eyes.

And the fact that his mother had hurt Satoshi angered Daisuke.

It angered him very much.

He waited until his father and Satoshi were out of earshot before he turned to his mother. "Tell me, Mom," he said bluntly, a scowl on his normally-cheerful face. "Why do you hate Hiwatari-kun so much?"

She started in surprise and turned around to face her clearly angry son. "What?"

"Why do you hate Hiwatari-kun?" he repeated. "Dad doesn't, and neither does Jii-chan."

"Your father," Emiko began hotly, slamming pans around on the stove, "is not a Niwa by birth and can't be expected to understand. And most of Dad's memory has been erased. Of course he doesn't hate the Hikari boy. He doesn't remember **why** to hate the Hikari."

"Jii-chan didn't hate the Hikari as much as you even before he lost most of his memories!" Daisuke retorted. "The only Hikari left is Hiwatari-kun. What has he ever done to earn your hate?"

"He's a Hikari," his mother said icily. "Niwa have always hated the Hikari."

"Why?!" Daisuke asked loudly, running his hand through his spiky hair in frustration. "Why do we hate the Hikari?"

Emiko opened her mouth to speak, but paused and then closed her mouth tightly.

"Tell me why!" Daisuke demanded. "Is there a real reason, or is this just a learned hatred passed down through generations? Do you even know?"

Emiko took a deep breath. "The feud—"

"The feud's over!" Daisuke shouted. "Dark and Krad are gone!"

"It's not that simple, Daisuke," the woman bit out.

"Maybe it should be," the redhead said firmly. "Why do you hate them?"

"They've been trying to kill us for generations. They always tried to kill Dark."

"But that was **Dark**," Daisuke said. "You were never Dark. You never had to fight. The Hikari never tried to do anything to **you**. "

"That's why I had to hate them more than everyone else!" Emiko shot back. "I had to hate them twice as much as Dad because I could never fight them." She sank into a chair, anger abruptly draining out. "It was the only way I could help."

"Mom," Daisuke said in surprise.

She smiled, a little sideways quirk of the mouth that had absolutely no humor in it. "And it wasn't hard. I knew Hikari Rio, you know. She was pretty easy to hate."

Daisuke sat down across from his mom, his own anger and frustration ebbing. "You knew her?" he asked.

"She was about my age, but she skipped a couple grades in school," Emiko said. "She was a senior in high school when I started at the same school."

Daisuke's eyes widened. "You went to the same high school?"

"We did," she confirmed with a nod.

"Well," Daisuke asked hesitantly, "Did you fight? Ever? Did she treat you badly?"

"No," Emiko said softly. "She only spoke to me once."

Daisuke shook his head, confused. "Then why did you hate her?"

"Because she only spoke to me once."

The teen blinked. "Mom…"

Emiko shook her head wryly. "You have to understand, Daisuke, I hated the Hikari ever since I learned I couldn't be Dark. I was quite passionate about it when I was young."

The thought of his mother being even more passionate about hating the Hikari made Daisuke wince.

"When I met Hikari Rio," Emiko continued, "I thought she would hate me too. I thought she would make my life miserable, and she could have, being a senior. But she didn't. She just…ignored me."

"Oh," Daisuke said softly as understanding began to dawn. "And the fact that she ignored you made it worse, didn't it?"

"Ohhhh, yes." Emiko stared off into space. "And it didn't help that she was beautiful. I mean, I was cute enough when I was young. Pretty and popular, but Hikari Rio was truly beautiful. Long black hair and ice-blue eyes. She was cool, and icy, and distant, and totally unassailable."

Daisuke fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Nothing I did or said ever got under her skin," Emiko continued. "I was so mad when she acted as though I was beneath her notice. She never acknowledged the feud between our families."

"So what did you do?" Daisuke asked uneasily.

Emiko smiled slightly. "Suffice it so say that once, right before graduation, I did finally get her attention."

"What did she do?"

His mother sighed deeply. "She looked straight at me. It was the only time she actually even looked **at** me instead of **through** me, and she told me that it was meaningless for us to fight, since the only way anything would be settled would be through our sons. And she turned and walked away." Emiko stared off into space for a moment, clearly reliving those memories. She took a deep breath and smiled at her son. "So of course I decided that **I **had to have a son first. It was the only way I could beat her. It was the only way I could ever really beat the Hikari personally."

"So what happened?" Daisuke prodded softly.

"Well, I've told you before that I was very popular and I had many guys ask me out," Emiko flushed prettily, "But when I told them about wanting a baby boy, they all ran away. Until Kosuke."

"Then what happened to Hikari-san?" Daisuke asked.

Emiko shrugged. "I lost track of her after she graduated, but Dad heard from someone when she had her boy." She looked wistful for a moment. "I tried. I was pregnant with you when I heard, but she still beat me."

"And then she died," Daisuke whispered.

"I read her obituary in the paper," Emiko said softly. She shook her head sadly. "You know, I never liked her, and I'm sure she didn't like me, but I never wished that for her."

As she sat in silence, Daisuke hesitantly reached out and touched her hand. Emiko smiled and patted his hand. "Thank you, Dai-chan."

"Mom," he began softly, "Whatever happened between you and Hikari-san was years ago. The only Hikari left is Hiwatari-kun. And he's never done anything to deserve your hatred."

"He hurt you, Dai-chan," Emiko protested.

"No, Mom," Daisuke corrected gently, but firmly. "Krad hurt me. Hiwatari-kun would never do anything to hurt me. He's my friend, Mom, and I like him a lot."

"How much is a lot?" she asked sharply.

Daisuke flushed slightly, but answered honestly. "A lot."

Emiko sighed and looked up at the teen solemnly. "Daisuke, you are my only son, and I love you more than life itself. I don't want you to get hurt. Just…promise me you'll think about this, okay?"

"If you'll promise to try seeing Hikari Satoshi for who he really is instead of who his name says he is," Daisuke replied in a soft, solemn voice.

Emiko gave him a sharp glance, but Daisuke didn't back down. "All right," she said finally. "I'll try."

Daisuke smiled slightly. "Thanks."

A small curl of smoke wafted past, and both Daisuke and Emiko wrinkled their noses at the burnt smell. The woman whirled to stare at the stove, where breakfast was boiling over. "Oh no, not again!" Emiko wailed softly. She ran to the pot and yanked it off the burner.

Daisuke stood and watched in bemusement as his mother started to slam pots around. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm fine!" Emiko said cheerfully. "Serves me right for having a serious conversation and cooking at the same time. Never works out."

The redhead didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded and edged for the door.

"Just do me a favor and tell the others that breakfast will be a little late, would you?" Emiko called after him.

"Sure," Daisuke called back with a small smile, and escaped the kitchen just as the smoke alarm began to beep.


	79. Chapter 43: December 31

**Chapter 43: December 31**

"Sorry that we don't have any real guest rooms," Kosuke said apologetically, leading the way up from the basement.

"Do not concern yourself, Niwa-san," Satoshi said. "Your archives are more comfortable than some of the places I've slept before."

Kosuke grinned as he pushed the door open. "Yeah, it's not bad. Remind me to tell you about the monastery in Switzerland I researched at. Now that was roughing it."

"That cot will be fine—" Satoshi stopped mid-sentence as the older man froze at the threshold to the living room. "Niwa-san?"

And then he heard Daisuke's angry voice. "The only Hikari left is Hiwatari-kun. What has he ever done to earn your hate?"

"He's a Hikari," Emiko's voice replied from the kitchen.

Kosuke sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He turned to Satoshi, an apologetic look on his face. "On the upside, Emiko hardly ever goes into the archives," he said brightly.

Satoshi raised an eyebrow slightly.

The older man winced as the angry sounds from the kitchen became audible again. "Let's continue this in the garden."

The pale-haired teen followed Kosuke outside, and the shouting from the kitchen abruptly silenced as the door closed behind them.

Satoshi sighed and leaned against the garden wall, looking out at the ocean. "I am going to try to look for another apartment," he said, not looking at the older Niwa. "I hopefully shouldn't impose on you much longer."

Kosuke leaned on his elbows next to the teen. "Give her time to get to know you, Hikari-san," he advised softly. "She'll get over her prejudices quickly enough."

Satoshi continued to stare out to sea.

The man smiled, and turned around so his back was resting against the wall. "Have you given any thought as to what you're going to do now?"

Surprised, Satoshi glanced over at the man. Kosuke merely looked curiously concerned, and the teen sighed. "I never really thought about it. I never expected…" he let his voice trail off.

Kosuke nodded in understanding, and the two stood in silence for a moment.

"I probably shouldn't quit my job with the police for a while," Satoshi said softly, thoughtfully. "It would be suspicious if I quit before it was clear that Dark was gone."

"Wise," Kosuke agreed.

"I might continue to do research for them," Satoshi went on wryly. "It would be short-sighted to give up a well-paying job that would allow me, at my age, to work."

The older man frowned. "What about Hiwatari?"

Satoshi shrugged. "I'll avoid him, and I imagine he'll do the same."

"Do you think Hiwatari would do anything?" Kosuke asked seriously, studying the teen with concern.

Satoshi thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think he would dare."

Kosuke crossed his arms over his chest, a look of suspicion on his face. "I don't know what he wouldn't dare. He was helping Krad, after all."

"No, he wasn't. Not really," Satoshi corrected softly, glancing over at the Niwa. "I think his goal was to seal both of the curses into the Black Wings, and control the creature with the Edge of Sorrows. I think that Daisuke and I were no more than an afterthought. His plan would never have worked, however."

Kosuke frowned. "Why not?"

"He separated Krad and Dark from us before he tried to seal them in. He broke the chains between the curses and the Tamers, and in doing so, broke the link between them forever. When we sealed them, Dark and Krad were two separate creatures, not two halves of one whole."

"Both curses were inhabiting the Black Wings?" The man's frown deepened as understanding grew. "So that means that if we hadn't banished it…"

Satoshi sighed wearily and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "If we hadn't banished it, Krad and Dark would have battled, continuously, for control of the Black Wings that they shared. The Black Wings, the most powerful Hikari work of my clan's combined existences, would have had dissociative identity disorder – split personalities, to put it bluntly."

"Oh," Kosuke exhaled deeply. "Then I guess it's a good thing we banished it then, isn't it?"

"Yes," Satoshi said simply.

Kosuke turned and leaned on the garden wall again, lost in his thoughts. Satoshi did the same, gazing at the water below. Krad was gone, Dark was gone, and he was still alive.

Satoshi had never really expected that to happen. Now he had to decide what to do with the rest of his suddenly-free life.

The sound of the doorbell broke the silence of the garden, and Kosuke straightened. "It's probably the twins," he said casually as he walked toward the door. "Emiko said that they'd be coming over later."

Satoshi nodded and followed the older Niwa. They walked into the living room to see the twins deep in conversation with Daisuke.

Kosuke wrinkled his nose at the burnt smell in the air. "I'm going to go check on Emiko."

The pale-haired teen started as Kosuke patted him on the shoulder. "You're welcome here for as long as you want to be here," he said softly before slipping into the kitchen.

Suddenly uncertain, Satoshi continued to stand at the entrance to the garden. Risa noticed him and waved. Daisuke turned to see what she was waving at. He smiled. "Did Dad find you a place to sleep?"

"Yes," Satoshi said simply, sinking down on the couch next to Daisuke.

"So you're staying here, then?" Riku said with a puzzled frown.

"Yes—" Daisuke began, but Satoshi spoke over him.

"Until I find a new place," he said firmly.

Daisuke shot him a look, but the twins seemed oblivious. "You might not be able to find one for a while," Risa said in honest concern. "Not until the semester changes and the university students end their leases. Besides, apartments are expensive."

"That's not a problem," Satoshi replied.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Is your guardian going to pay for one?"

Satoshi gazed at her coolly until the redhead dropped her stare. "I have a trust fund, Harada. It pays only so much per month, but it will be adequate for rent."

Riku shrugged.

Risa changed the subject. "What are you going to do now that Daiki lost his memory?"

"Well," Daisuke began, "We've started going through old photo albums with him. He doesn't remember much, but he's really interested in learning."

"He probably wants to know what he's done all those years," Risa said softly.

"I wish we could help," Riku sighed.

"Tell him stories," Daisuke offered. "I know you don't know much about our family history, but you can tell him about cool stuff that's happened over the past years."

"You could talk to him about Dark," Satoshi suggested quietly.

Risa clapped her hands. "That's a wonderful idea! I can tell him all about Dark-san, since I knew him pretty well. He certainly was an amazing thief; I can tell him all about the heists I watched…"

Riku was so busy rolling her eyes that she missed the flash of pain that crossed Daisuke's face.

Satoshi did not.

Eventually Risa realized that she was the only one talking, and she fell quiet. The four teenagers sat, lost in their own thoughts.

"So what happens now?" Riku asked abruptly.

"I guess we go back to school, act like nothing's happened," Risa said thoughtfully.

"We help Jii-chan remember," Daisuke said softly.

"You mean everything goes back to normal?" Riku said innocently and with relief. "Back to the way it was before Dark showed up?" She looked over at Daisuke, who was staring off at something that only he could see. She frowned. "Niwa-kun?"

The redhead started briefly, but then turned and gave her one of his bright, sunny smiles. "Sure. Everything goes back to normal," Daisuke told her cheerfully, and the two girls started chattering about school.

Satoshi sat back and watched them talk, concern growing within him. Daisuke was laughing about something with the twins, but there was a strange emptiness shadowing the amber eyes.

Satoshi saw it and knew with uneasy certainty that nothing could ever be the same again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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Ryn: And here's where a lot of stories would end.

Lessa: To be perfectly honest, a lot of stories probably would have ended chapters ago with the Black Wings being sealed.

Ryn: Good point. However, as I'm sure the rest of you have noticed, this is not like most stories.

Lessa: We've always believed that stories that have the heart-pounding, action-filled, climactic fight scene and then just end with 'happily ever after' are unrealistic.

Ryn: Those stories leave too many questions unanswered.

Lessa: Granted, some questions shouldn't be answered--

Ryn: Cause that's where fanfiction comes in!

Lessa:--But Dark was such a huge part of Daisuke's life that we don't think that any fanfic could do the storyline justice without looking at that relationship—

Ryn: --And what the sudden loss of that relationship would do to our favorite redhead.

Lessa: So don't go anywhere, loyal readers.

Ryn: We're not finished yet.


	80. Part 4: Chapter 1: January

Lessa: So, we tell you we aren't stopping the story with that last chapter, and then I forget to update for two days. I'm sure you're all ready to kill us, but I have a great excuse. You see, Ryn usually updates the chapters, but she went to Orlando and didn't take me, so in my distress, I completely forgot I was supposed to take over updating. It's her fault. Don't hurt me.

Anyway, I am really very sorry for making you all wait and worry. Thanks for sticking it out!!

**Part 4: After**

**Chapter 1: January**

Daisuke heartily wished that the winter break hadn't ended. He walked to school glumly, staring at the ground, hands shoved deep in his pockets against the chill. Worse than the cold was the quiet. Azumano seemed wrapped in a hush this morning, as everyone who didn't have to go somewhere stayed indoors. The town always got quieter when the weather got colder, but Daisuke had never really noticed it this much before. He'd always had Dark had always been chattering in the back of his head before...

Daisuke hitched his bag higher on his shoulder and continued trudging to the trolley station. The quiet wouldn't be as bad if Satoshi was there, but the teen had chosen not to go back to school. He had told him so last night.

"Niwa," Satoshi had said softly, "Going to middle school was always a waste of time for me. The only reason I went was to try and get closer to you and Dark anyway."

"Oh," Daisuke had said, trying to hide his disappointment, and not succeeding overly well.

"Will that bother you?" Satoshi had asked hesitantly. "I just think I could be more help here with Daiki-san than going to school for things I learned years ago."

Daisuke had forced a smile. "Of course I don't mind. I think it's nice of you to want to help Jii-chan, and he obviously needs you more than me."

Satoshi had given him a sharp glance at that last remark, but had let it go.

And now, as Daisuke slowly walked through the school doors, he wished that Satoshi had called him on it, had decided to come back to school anyway.

"Daisuke!"

Because it wasn't fair that he had to face Saehara alone.

The redhead took a deep breath as he turned to face his friend, but to his surprise, some of his other classmates got there first.

"Niwa! I heard you were in an accident over break!" Masahiro said with concern.

"With Hiwatari-kun!" a girl from the back row piped up.

"Are you okay?" one of Riku's friends asked seriously.

"Is **Hiwatari-kun** okay?" Takara asked worriedly.

"What happened anyway, Niwa?"

Daisuke took a hesitant step back as a crowd of classmates gathered around him, all talking at once. He looked over their heads to see Saehara leaning against a desk in the front row. He scowled at the reporter. "Did you announce it over the radio or just take out an ad in the paper?" he asked sarcastically.

Saehara shrugged. "You're popular, Daisuke."

"Since when?" the redhead demanded, striding towards Saehara and leaving the crowd to buzz behind him.

The reporter grinned. "Since you played the lead in my play, of course."

Daisuke stopped dead in his tracks and stared. "You're kidding."

"So just think how much more popular you'll be when you and Hiwatari perform 'Romeo and Juliet' as our spring production," Saehara continued brightly. He looked around. "Where is Hiwatari, anyway?"

"Um…" The redhead's mind went blank. He certainly couldn't say that Satoshi had decided middle school was a waste of time. "He transferred!" he blurted.

Saehara's brow furrowed. "Transferred?"

Daisuke nodded. "Yeah. To another school."

"Oh." Saehara looked stunned for a second. Behind him, Daisuke could see disappointment written on the faces of half the girls in class. And one or two of the guys.

Daisuke wasn't quite sure how he felt about **that**. He started to edge away from Saehara while the reporter was still off-guard. "Um, I really ought to go talk to sensei about the class I missed—"

Saehara grabbed his by the arm, stopping him mid-word. "Did you guys break up?"

"What? No!" Daisuke protested automatically, then flushed. He noticed the rest of the class staring at him and his blush deepened. "He just moved and has to go to another school."

"But you're still going out?" a girl pressed.

"Uh…" Daisuke stalled for time as he tried to figure out how to answer. And luckily for him, the sensei chose that moment to appear.

"All right, to your seats," she said indulgently as the class began to disperse. Daisuke walked towards his desk.

A deep sigh exploded out of Saehara as he slid into his desk and he pressed a hand to his forehead. "I don't believe this! This is horrible! How could he **do** that?!"

"No, it's okay," Daisuke began, touched that his friend was worried about his relationship, especially after all that had happened between them. "I mean, I still get to see him and all—"

Saehara threw his hands in the air, oblivious to the teacher's scowl. "Now who's going to play Romeo?!"

XXXXXXX

Satoshi carefully dropped his foot-tall stack of books on the table in the basement and brushed his sweat-soaked bangs out of his face. Niwa Kosuke strode up next to him with his own stack of books. As the man set the last few books from the Hikari archives down, the table groaned under the weight.

"Your ancestors were certainly prodigious in their writing," Kosuke grinned tiredly as he leaned against the basement wall, trying to catch his breath.

Too worn out to answer, Satoshi simply nodded and sat down on his cot.

"Is there anything left in your apartment that you need to get?" the older man asked, stretching.

"No, I put most of the furniture and larger items in storage. Everything left came with the apartment," Satoshi said tiredly. "Thanks for helping me carry the books, Niwa-san."

Kosuke shrugged good-naturedly. "Those books are too valuable to put in a storeroom somewhere. It wasn't any trouble at all. Besides," he added with an innocently hopeful look remarkably reminiscent of Daisuke, "Maybe you'll let me look at them sometime? Since they're here?"

Satoshi had to smile slightly at that. "Sure, Niwa-san. There's really no reason why you couldn't look at them now."

"Thank you, Hikari-san," Kosuke said with cheerful gratitude.

A door above them creaked open and Daisuke came slowly down the steps. "Dad?"

"We're both down here," the man called.

Daisuke jumped down the last few stairs and stopped dead at the huge stack of books in front of him.

"Your father helped me move the archives today," Satoshi said softly, rising from the cot.

The redhead nodded, looking stunned. Hundreds of books stood in waist-high stacks around the room in addition to the books covering the table.

"So how was school?" Kosuke asked.

Daisuke shrugged. "Fine. School."

"Hmm." Kosuke thoughtfully studied his son for a moment, then pushed himself away from the wall. "I should probably go find Emiko. Towa threatened to stay in her bird form for a few days if Emiko didn't stop helping her cook dinner."

As he headed towards the stairs, he stopped and briefly laid a hand on his son's shoulder.

Daisuke grinned at him, but it didn't have its usual fire. "Good luck, Dad."

The door closed behind Kosuke, and Satoshi was left staring at Daisuke. There was a slight uncomfortable silence, and then the redhead smiled brightly, though his expression was still missing something.

"Everybody was asking about you today," he said, dropping his backpack and sitting in one of the chairs Satoshi and Kosuke had moved away from the table. Daisuke stared up at Satoshi with a small smile. "I think more people asked about you than about me."

"You were there," Satoshi pointed out logically, sliding into the chair next to Daisuke's. "They knew you were okay. Some of them were probably confused by my absence."

Daisuke grinned slightly, and his voice took on a slight teasing note. "I told the class that you transferred to another school. Most of the girls, Takara in particular, seemed crushed by the news."

Satoshi, unamused, raised an eyebrow.

Daisuke looked unrepentant, grinning wider. "They were all very concerned about the accident. They wanted to know if you were all right."

The pale-haired teen sighed. "Saehara."

"Yeah," Daisuke said, suddenly growing solemn and distant. "Saehara."

Satoshi gave the suddenly-quiet redhead a sharp glance. "Niwa?"

Daisuke shook himself out his thoughts. He looked at Satoshi sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Are you all right?" Satoshi asked, concerned.

"Oh, yeah," Daisuke assured him quickly. Too quickly. "It's just that…" he trailed off.

Satoshi waited.

Daisuke exhaled impatiently. "Saehara was just talking about us doing 'Romeo and Juliet' again for the spring play."

With supreme effort on his part, Satoshi held back his natural and exceedingly unenthusiastic reaction. "And?"

The redhead stared at the ground for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was distant. "I just kept waiting for Dark to make a snide comment about the play. But of course he didn't, and he never will again."

Daisuke fell silent and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.

After a moment, Satoshi reached over and gently took his hand. Daisuke shot him a quick, sideways glance, then smiled softly and squeezed Satoshi's hand back.

The two sat hand in hand for a moment. Heaving a large sigh, Daisuke stood up. "Well, I have homework I really ought to get started on."

"Do you want some help?" Satoshi asked quietly.

Daisuke started guiltily. "You don't have to, Hiwatari-kun. I mean, you always help me."

Satoshi shrugged. "I'm not doing anything right now. It would give me something to do."

"Well, if you don't care, then." The redhead's smile was present, but faint. "I'm really far behind since I missed so much school. Sensei gave me a stack of work that's taller than I am, I swear."

Satoshi had to smile at that, and he stood. "It's going to take your mom at least another hour to get dinner ready. We can get you started, at least."

He headed up the stairs, but paused when he felt a faint tug on his sleeve.

"Thanks, Hiwatari-kun," Daisuke said softly.

"It's not a problem, Niwa-kun," Satoshi replied, his tone faintly surprised.

Daisuke smiled brightly and ran a hand through his spikeshair. "Yeah, but I just wanted to say it."

And with that, he started up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Satoshi watched him go, brow furrowed with a slight, nagging concern. After a moment, though, he dismissed it and followed Daisuke upstairs.


	81. Chapter 2: February

**Chapter 2: February**

Satoshi was almost done with the long and frustrating process of rewrapping the final set of bandages around his ribs. He would be heartily glad when the final few days of the six weeks were up and he could take the bandages off for good. The pale-haired teen was just tying off the ends when a small sound at the door made him pause and look back. Daisuke was standing motionless in the doorway, book bag in hand. Staring at him.

Satoshi frowned. "Niwa?"

A slow flush climbed up Daisuke's face to the roots of his hair. He ducked his head quickly and shut the door behind him. "Hi, Hiwatari-kun," he said oddly, dropping the bag by his desk. "How was your day?"

As the redhead moved around the room, making a deliberate effort not to look at him, Satoshi was suddenly reminded of the fact that he was shirtless. His frown deepened. Daisuke had never been embarrassed before. In fact, he'd helped him change the bandages once or twice. "Fine. What happened?"

Daisuke jumped. Guiltily. "What do you mean?" he asked, busily ruffling through the papers in his bag.

Raising an eyebrow, Satoshi reached over and carefully pulled his shirt over his head. "I put a shirt on. You can look at me now," he said dryly.

The redhead blushed again, but finally glanced over at him. "That's not what…I mean…nothing's wrong!"

Satoshi sighed. "Nothing happened at school?"

"No!" Daisuke said quickly, eyes wide. "Nothing at all. Really boring. No weird conversations or anything like that."

"What conversation?" Satoshi prodded.

Daisuke bit his lip. "Nothing."

Satoshi sighed again. "Niwa…"

"Nothing happened!" Daisuke insisted. "I mean, I had lunch with the twins and Nishimura and Masahiro and Saehara and nothing happened."

"Of course," Satoshi agreed calmly. "It's not like some strange guy approached you and struck up a conversation."

"How did you know about that?" Daisuke gasped.

"I guessed."

"But…how did you know it was a guy?" he asked suspiciously.

Satoshi sat down on the couch. "I had a fifty percent chance of guessing the right gender of your mysterious conversationalist. So what did he have to say?"

Daisuke glared at him, obviously on his guard now. "Nothing important. I'm doing my homework now."

Satoshi shrugged. "Of course."

"I really hate it when you do that," Daisuke groused, sitting at his desk and opening his science text.

Picking up his own book, Satoshi began to read.

Ten minutes later, he realized that Daisuke hadn't yet turned a page. He set his book on the couch with a sigh. "Niwa…"

"I'm fine," he said shortly.

At this point, Satoshi was mildly concerned at Daisuke's unusually surly behavior. He got up and walked over to where the redhead was supposedly working. He gently touched his wrist. "Niwa—"

Daisuke yanked away like he'd been burned.

Stung, Satoshi drew back.

Instantly, Daisuke seemed to realize his mistake, for he turned in his chair, chagrin written all over his face. "I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun, it's just…"

"Just what?" the older teen asked coolly.

The redhead ran a hand through his spikes. "The guy at school."

"With whom you had the conversation," Satoshi said neutrally.

"Yeah, him," Daisuke said uncomfortably. "Well, he came up to me at lunch and he…he asked me if you and I were still dating."

Satoshi blinked, caught off guard. "What did you tell him?"

Daisuke shrugged sheepishly. "I think I kinda babbled. I said that you had moved, but we still kept in touch, something like that."

Leaning against the edge of the desk, Satoshi folded his arms across his chest. "So, why is this a problem? You've been dealing with people asking about 'us' for weeks now."

Daisuke took a deep breath and looked at the carpet. "He…hetoldmetocallhimwhenwebrokeup," he said in an incomprehensible rush.

Satoshi frowned. "What?"

"He told me to call him when we broke up," Daisuke repeated softly, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh," Satoshi said, understanding dawning—along with a sudden, unexplainable feeling of dread.

The redhead looked up, eyes full of irritation. "'Oh?' That's all you have to say?"

"What are you looking for? Congratulations?" Satoshi asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice and failing miserably.

"I didn't want to tell you at all," Daisuke said sullenly. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

Satoshi shrugged. "What is there to understand? Someone hit on you; it happens all the time."

"Maybe to **you!**" Daisuke flared.

Satoshi sighed, all vestiges of humor draining away to be replaced by confused exasperation. "Niwa…what do you want, then?"

Daisuke rocketed out of his chair, coming nose-to-nose with Satoshi. "I don't know!"

Surprised by the intensity, Satoshi pulled back. Daisuke frowned and took a step back, running a hand through his spikes in frustration. "I don't know what I want. I don't even know who I am anymore. I don't know about me, I don't know about you, and…" He paused and his voice got softer. "And I'm really confused about us."

Satoshi froze. "Us?"

"**Us**!" Daisuke shot back angrily. "This so-called relationship thing, or **whatever** it is that's between us!"

By this point, Satoshi's stomach felt like a block of ice, and his entire body was starting to feel cold. "What do you mean?"

With that, Daisuke's eyes narrowed calculatingly and he folded his arms, studying Satoshi for a long moment.

And then something changed in his eyes, and he said simply, "I don't want to pretend anymore."

Satoshi felt his face set—a practiced response to anything that caused him pain. And this hurt much more than he had thought that it would. He turned to look out the window, and in doing so, missed the triumphant look that flashed across Daisuke's face. "Of course, Niwa. I understand."

"I don't think you do," Daisuke said quietly.

Satoshi pushed himself away from the desk, not meeting Daisuke's eyes. "No, I do understand. It was an act; we'd decided that from the start." He started for the door. "It's late, and I promised Daiki-san that I'd talk to him this afternoon."

A hand clamped gently around his wrist, and Satoshi turned to look at Daisuke. The redhead smiled at him. "Don't run from me, Satoshi," he said softly. "I don't like it."

Sudden anger and frustration overrode the pain Satoshi was feeling, and he tried to pull away. But Daisuke held on. "Satoshi—"

Satoshi had finally had it. "Daisuke, what the hell do you want from me?!" he flared. "Stop playing and tell me what you **want**!"

Daisuke looked right at him. "I wasn't playing. I want to stop pretending. I want to stop acting."

The grip on Satoshi's wrist loosened, and Satoshi tried to pull away again. However, instead of letting go, Daisuke's hand slipped into his and intertwined their fingers. "I don't want this to be a game anymore," he said simply, not breaking the gaze they shared.

At this point, Satoshi was so exhausted by the onslaught of sudden emotions that he was numb. "What?"

Daisuke smiled briefly and tugged on his hand. "I think we need to talk," he said, gesturing towards the couch.

He sat, pulling an unresisting Satoshi down next to him, not letting go of his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm somewhat confused," Satoshi told him frankly.

Daisuke glanced down, seemingly gathering his wits, and looked up shyly. "I…I like you a lot, Satoshi," he said slowly. "And, even though all this was an act at the beginning…I don't think it is anymore. I don't want it to be."

Satoshi had no idea what to say, so he simply nodded.

The redhead took a deep breath. "You see, I was really confused about, well, just everything for a while. I thought I liked girls, 'cause, I liked Harada-san, and I really did care for Riku-san. At least, I think I did. But, ever since I went back to school and people thought you moved away, the few girls that have started flirting with me…don't interest me at all.

"But then…the guy that I talked to today didn't really interest me, either. I mean, it's not that they were unattractive or anything, it's just that…" He trailed off. "I—I don't think I could like them. I don't think I could care for them. Not the way I care for you."

"Niwa…" Satoshi began hesitantly, a cautious flame of hope flickering within him.

Daisuke's grip tightened on his hand. "And I think you feel the same way," he said simply. "You wouldn't have reacted the way you did if you didn't."

"You were testing me?" Satoshi asked flatly.

"No, not really," Daisuke said, shaking his head. "I meant it, and…I didn't know how you felt, and I certainly couldn't flat-out ask."

A lot had been said…but the really important parts had just been hinted at, and Satoshi wasn't about to let Daisuke off that easily. "What exactly did you want to ask?"

Daisuke blinked at him, then smiled wryly. "I wanted to say that I like you a lot, and wanted to know if you'd go out with me. For real." He looked at Satoshi with a hint of anxiety behind the amber eyes. "Okay?"

Satoshi glanced down at their intertwined hands. His smile was soft, but it was clear. "Okay."

"Really?" Daisuke blurted, an uncontrollable grin surfacing. "You know, I wasn't really trying to test you, and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. It's just that I didn't know how you felt and I didn't want to say anything without knowing, because if I was wrong and you didn't like me, then I'd look stupid and things would be weird and you'd leave, and I didn't want you to leave, even if you weren't interested and—"

"Daisuke," Satoshi sighed, though he couldn't keep the smile back, "Stop talking."

The redhead stopped and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Carefully, Satoshi tightened his grip on Daisuke's hand and leaned forward. "Don't be," he whispered.

He hesitated a few centimeters from Daisuke. The redhead closed his eyes in tacit permission and Satoshi closed the gap between them, kissing him gently.

Daisuke leaned into the kiss, reaching out with his free hand to take Satoshi's, and for the first moment since the Black Wings was destroyed, all was right with the world.

XXXXXX

And things eventually did get better. It was pretty evident to all those who lived at the Niwa house that things had changed between Daisuke and Satoshi. And Emiko tried, she really did. She and Satoshi did not go out of their way to speak to one another, but when they did, it was polite. By this time, she had long since managed to stop wincing every time she saw Satoshi in her living room. It was harder to stay quiet when Daisuke began to ever-so-casually take Satoshi's hand when they watched TV. When she caught them kissing in the hall, however, she put her foot down.

"I am NOT going to have you making out in MY hallway! Outside!"

She took her son by the shoulder and pushed him out the door into the garden. Satoshi followed, looking confused.

She slammed the door behind the boys and turned to see Kosuke behind her, eyebrow raised. "Teenagers!" she spat, sweeping back into the kitchen.

In the garden, Daisuke stared at Satoshi for a moment before dissolving into laughter. Satoshi continued to look confused.

And inside, Kosuke shrugged and continued on his way, but couldn't keep the smile from his face.

XXXXXXX

Daisuke stretched out on his couch, eyes closed and headphones on. He had tried to do his homework, but he kept getting distracted. Even though he knew Dark was gone, he still sometimes expected Dark to respond with a typically-smart-aleck comment or a funny anecdote of the eccentricities of Niwa throughout the ages. His thoughts seemed to echo within his mind, reverberating strangely within the empty space that Dark had occupied. It was just…so quiet sometimes. And so Daisuke retreated once again to the music that masked the echoing emptiness inside his head. He knew he was playing his music too loud, but he couldn't bring himself to turn it down.

It was so quiet now. So damn quiet…

"Niwa," a voice interrupted, and Daisuke opened his eyes to meet Satoshi's concerned gaze. "Your mom's been calling for you."

"Oh," Daisuke smiled faintly and sat up, turning off his music as he did so. "I didn't hear her."

"I'm not surprised. I could hear the music from your headphones all the way across the room." The older teen frowned, and his expression grew troubled. "Are you all right?"

"No," Daisuke said honestly. "Not now. Maybe I will be later, but not now."

Satoshi looked at him with a knowing stare. "It's Dark again, isn't it?"

Daisuke took a deep, shuddering breath. "He was part of me, Satoshi. He was always with me, always there. The best friend I ever had, except for you."

The pale-haired teen nodded, listening.

"Before, I always thought that at least I'd see him again when I had a son, but now I never will. He's gone. Forever," Daisuke said softly, pulling his knees up to his chin and wrapping his arms around his knees tightly.

Satoshi said nothing, only pulled Daisuke to him and held the shivering redhead close.

Daisuke sighed deeply, and wrapped his arms around the older boy. As he sat within the circle of Satoshi's embrace, he felt the tightness around his heart ease slightly. "Thank you," he whispered.

He felt Satoshi draw back slightly so that the older boy could look down at his face. "For what?"

"For being here," Daisuke said softly, pulling back and swiping a hand across his eyes. "I'm okay now."

Satoshi looked uncertain. "Are you sure?"

Daisuke nodded and smiled faintly at him. "Yeah."


	82. Chapter 3: Early March

ASN: Greetings all. Sorry about the confusion and the mix-up, but between my being out of town and conference preparation on top of wedding preparation, things are getting a little screwy. I apologize heartily and sincerely.

AN: But things should be on track now. Hopefully.

**Chapter 3: Early March**

"…And then, Niwa-kun burst into the cell and picked the locks on our cuffs—" Riku said.

"—in **seconds**," Risa interjected.

Riku glared at her twin for interrupting the story. "Anyway," she continued to Daiki, "Dark was out in the corridor, holding off the snowmen guards. Niwa-kun quickly drew a portal to our world through my room so we could escape. But just as we were leaving, Daisuke decided to stay behind so he could help, and Dark took us back."

"So exciting," Daiki said with a smile. "So Daisuke stayed behind to help, huh? It sounds just like him."

Risa nodded. "Daisuke said he'd come back and tell you what happened next, since we don't know the rest."

"Well," Riku said, "We're going to have to explain what happened when Dark went to get the sword and we followed him, since Daisuke wasn't there."

"A sword?" Daiki sat up straighter in his chair by the window.

"Next time, Niwa-sama," Riku told him with a smile. "We have a test tomorrow, so maybe the day after. Okay?"

He settled back in his chair and smiled at his granddaughters. "I look forward to it."

They stood to leave, and, as always, he raised a hand. "Thank you for coming over."

"It was fun," Risa replied. "Bye!"

They stepped out into the hallway and almost ran into Emiko. "There you are, girls," the woman said brightly. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Not today," Riku told her. "Our parents are coming home tonight—finally—so we need to be there to greet them."

"Oh, that's wonderful! They've been gone for such a long time."

There was a whistle of a teakettle from the kitchen, and Emiko turned to attend to it. "Well, on your way out, would you mind finding the boys and telling them that dinner's almost ready?" she asked.

"Sure," Riku agreed. "Have a good day."

Emiko waved distractedly and disappeared into the kitchen.

"So, where do you think they are?" Risa asked her sister.

"Usually Niwa-kun's doing homework now, so maybe upstairs," Riku guessed. "Let's cut through the living room and check."

They were only a meter or so from the door to the living room when they heard a slight 'eep!' and a muffled thud. Risa looked at Riku and giggled. "That would be Niwa-kun."

Riku grinned in return. "I wonder what he tripped over this time."

The girls peeked around the corner to see…

Satoshi sitting on the floor, glasses slightly askew, with Daisuke sprawled inelegantly across his lap. With was sitting a few paces away, looking slightly squished and very miffed. "Kyuu," it said reproachfully.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Daisuke moaned. "Does With try and trip me on **purpose**?!"

Satoshi chuckled lightly as he adjusted his glasses. Then he leaned forward, tenderly brushed Daisuke's hair out of his eyes, and pressed a soft kiss on the redhead's forehead.

The girls' jaws dropped. The twins glanced at each other, eyes wide.

They **had** to have imagined that.

Wordlessly, Riku and Risa turned back to the living room, where not only had they **not** imagined that, Daisuke was now solidly in Satoshi's lap and the boys were kissing with somewhat more intensity. And fervor.

Riku gasped.

At that slight sound, the two boys were instantly off the floor and on opposite ends of the couch. Daisuke was slightly flushed, but Satoshi looked as calm and unruffled as usual. "Did you need something, Harada?" he asked in a voice that definitely held more than a tinge of irritation.

Riku looked at Risa.

Risa looked at Riku.

They both looked back at the boys. "Um, I forget," Risa said in a small voice.

Satoshi stood up. "Well, come back and let us know when you remember," he said in an icy voice, and stalked out of the room.

The two girls turned as one to stare at Daisuke.

The redhead blushed and fled from the room—in the opposite direction as Satoshi.

Riku turned to Risa. "Um…did we imagine that?"

Risa shook her head slowly. "No, I think both of us saw that." She looked at her sister, doubt in her eyes. "I mean, you **did** see Niwa-kun and Hiwatari-kun…right?"

Riku nodded. She started heading for the front door in a daze. "But I thought they were just pretending…because of us, remember?" she asked.

"Yeah," Risa said softly. "Well…maybe they're not pretending anymore."

"Huh." Riku was lost deep in her thoughts. Before she had learned the truth about her relationship to the Niwa, she had hoped that Daisuke would eventually come to his senses and come back to her. But when he and Satoshi had appeared on the doorstep, spouting tales of Dark and DNA tests, she'd realized that it was never going to happen. She needed to get over it and move on—for both of their sakes.

The two girls walked out of the house in silence and stood on the front stoop to wait for Tsubouchi.

"Well," Riku admitted finally, as the car pulled up, "They do look kind of cute together."

Risa took her sister's hand and squeezed it gently. And then she grinned. "I **told** you I saw Niwa-kun and Hiwatari-kun kissing!"

XXXXX

Satoshi walked into Daisuke's room and stepped on something. He glanced down, suddenly fearful that he had crushed Daisuke's demon-rabbit.

The teen looked up just in time to see Daisuke, at his desk, rip a piece of paper out of his notebook, crumple it into a ball, and throw it over his shoulder in frustration. The pale-haired teen's gaze flickered slightly as he realized that the floor was covered with similar balls of paper.

"Having trouble?" he asked dryly.

Daisuke turned in his seat, but his frown softened when he saw who it was. "Hey, Satoshi. Did you finish packing up all your books?"

"Yes, I just finished taping the boxes. They're ready to be taken to the new apartment tomorrow."

The redhead smiled faintly. "When do your university classes start?"

"A week or so," Satoshi told him, approaching to look down at Daisuke's desk. "What are you working on?"

Daisuke sighed deeply and turned back to his work with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "It's getting towards the end of the semester, so everything's due all at once." He ran a hand through his hair in increasing frustration. "I don't know how I'm going to study for any of my exams, since there's still so much work to do."

"Niwa-kun," Satoshi began.

"And I know this English essay is wrong!" Daisuke said, waving a notebook in aggravation. "But I can't get the grammar, and I've been working on it for **hours**—"

"Do you want me to check it for you?" Satoshi asked quietly, cutting off Daisuke's rant.

The redhead sighed and looked down. "Yes, please."

Satoshi took the notebook. "You know, Niwa-kun, you only have to ask."

"I know," Daisuke said softly, smiling faintly up at the older teen.

Satoshi returned the smile and sat down on Daisuke's couch.

"Dai-chan!" came Emiko's voice from downstairs. "Phone call!"

Daisuke sighed and stood up. "Coming."

The redhead disappeared down the stairs, and Satoshi began to page through the notebook, looking for the English essay. As he flicked through the pages, however, something fluttered to the floor.

Satoshi leaned down and picked it up. It was a small square of folded newsprint. Intrigued, Satoshi start to unfold it, but froze as the fragile paper began to tear at the folds. Whatever it was, it had been unfolded and refolded so often that the folds were beginning to split.

The pale-haired teen carefully spread out the delicate newsprint to reveal a fuzzy photograph of Dark in flight. The image captured Dark silhouetted against a starry sky, with a bright police spotlight illuminating the thief's right wing, but leaving his face and the rest of his body in shadow. The picture had been taken with a telephoto lens, but Dark had been moving, so the edges were blurred.

For someone as admittedly egotistical as the phantom thief had been, surprisingly few good pictures of him existed.

Satoshi caught the sound of Daisuke's tread on the stairs. He quickly refolded the clipping, slipped it back into the pages of the notebook, and began to check the English essay. He looked up as Daisuke strode through the door. "Who was it?"

Daisuke sat down heavily on his desk chair and sighed. "Saehara wanted to know if he could borrow my notes for the math quiz tomorrow."

"Is he going to come get them?" Satoshi asked, circling a mis-conjugated verb.

The redhead laughed shortly. "Since I didn't even know that we had a math quiz tomorrow, I told him that I needed them. I guess it's a good thing he called, though. I never heard the sensei talk about it, so I wouldn't have studied for it at all." He surveyed the stacks of paper on his desk with disgust. "And I thought I was actually about half-way done."

Satoshi's brow furrowed in concern, but when Daisuke saw, he gave Satoshi a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Hiwatari-kun. I'll get it all done, and it'll go faster with you helping me. I just needed to vent a little. I'll be okay."

The pale-haired teen nodded slowly, and eventually found himself returning Daisuke's smile. He bent his head back to Daisuke's essay, and the redhead looked back down at his papers.

And Satoshi heard Daisuke take a deep breath as he picked up his pen. "I'll be okay," the younger teen repeated to himself in a whisper.


	83. Chapter 4: Late March

Author's Note: (climbs out of woodwork and looks around cautiously for flying rotten fruit) Hi, again, everybody.

Author's Sister's Note: It's been a long time, huh?

AN: Too long. We are really sorry for dropping you so abruptly.

ASN: Life just got out of hand this summer, and we're finally beginning to catch up with our writing.

AN: But we're back with the last two chapters and a lot of guilt. Lots of guilt.

ASN: At this point, you could probably convince us to post a couple of our outtake scenes for free.

AN: We'll stop talking, but we did want everyone to know how sorry we are for leaving you hanging all summer. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Late March**

Satoshi checked his watch impatiently. Ten after six. The teen frowned and leaned back in his chair.

A waiter approached hesitantly. "Would you like to order?"

"I'm waiting for someone," Satoshi replied shortly. The waiter nodded and disappeared.

And then a breathless redhead slid into the seat across from him. "I'm sorry I'm late! Mom had me running errands, and I had to finish a final paper, and With ran off with it and I had to track him down. Turns out he was apparently stuck in one of the pits Mom dug as training traps under the hall, and I had to climb down to rescue him."

Satoshi couldn't help but smile, and his irritation slipped away. "So did you get him out?"

Daisuke rolled his eyes as he picked up his menu. "With 'kyuu'ed helplessly until I climbed down to the very bottom, then he jumped out of the pit like it was nothing. So then I was stuck in the pit and had to climb the very sheer walls all the way back out. With sat up at the top and watched me, and I swear he was laughing the entire time."

"But you got your report back," Satoshi said, question in his voice.

"Yeah," Daisuke assured him. "It has two little teeth marks in the corner. You don't think the sensei will notice, do you?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, considering how many other reports you've turned in with teeth marks in them," Satoshi said dryly, "I don't think she'll make a big deal of it."

Daisuke made a face at him.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked imperiously, having apparently appeared out of thin air. The two teens ordered and watched critically as the waiter disappeared again.

"Perhaps he has Niwa blood," Satoshi mused with a sideways look at the redhead across from him.

"Nah," Daisuke said dismissively. "His technique is sloppy. He rustled that curtain when he came out from behind it. How are your classes?"

"The new semester doesn't start for another few weeks," Satoshi corrected. "However, I have been auditing some of the classes that I want to take."

"Do they look any good?" Daisuke asked.

Satoshi nodded. "So far only one appears to be covering material that I already know. The other advanced math classes look like they're going to be satisfactory."

Daisuke sighed. "I still don't understand why you want to take math classes."

"I like it. It's very…different from anything I've done before," Satoshi said softly. "How's Daiki-san?"

"Pretty good," Daisuke replied. "The twins come over once or twice a week. He says he misses you, though." The redhead grinned. "Jii-chan says you have better stories."

Satoshi smiled slightly. "How's school?"

Daisuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Saehara's on his third Romeo. The play's in three days, and he driving us all crazy."

"Saehara or the new Romeo?" the older teen asked dryly.

"Saehara, of course. He drove the first two Romeos away with his 'direction.'" The redhead's grin grew slightly wicked. "Saehara tells anyone who will listen what an amazing actor you were and how much he wished that you still went to our school."

Satoshi shook his head. "And yet, to hear him when we did the play, you would have thought that we were the two worst actors to walk the face of the earth."

Daisuke's grin widened. "That was before he asked Masahiro to do a monologue."

"Why didn't Saehara ask you to do Romeo?" Satoshi asked curiously as their food arrived.

"Oh, he did," Daisuke assured him, picking up his chopsticks. "I told him I was too busy."

"Doing what?"

"Catching up on all my work. And I told him that I wanted to spend more time with you."

"Really?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what did Saehara do?"

"Pouted for a bit, then asked if you were a good kisser," Daisuke replied with a perfectly straight face.

Satoshi choked on his rice and looked up at the mischievously grinning redhead. "What did you say?"

"I told him to mind his own damn business," Daisuke said easily, picking up a bite of chicken.

The pale-haired teen blinked at him for a moment. "You know, Niwa," he began slowly, "I believe that that is the first time I've heard you curse."

"It's my way of keeping Dark alive," Daisuke said unrepentantly, then smiled slightly. "Mom's not too happy about it."

"Probably not," Satoshi agreed softly.

The grin Daisuke gave him before returning to his dinner was self-satisfied and had more than a hint of a smirk to it…in short, eerily reminiscent of Dark. As Daisuke continued to chatter about Saehara's play and the end of the semester, Satoshi realized that there was something off about Daisuke's new Dark-like smile. There was some vague, indefinable difference that made Satoshi uneasy.

It wasn't until after they had left the restaurant and were walking through Azumano that Satoshi finally realized what it was.

Daisuke's smile held an edge of bitterness that Dark's had never had.

And even though Daisuke was his normally cheerful self for the rest of the evening, Satoshi's uneasiness never went away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Satoshi stood in the middle of his bare, empty living room and stared thoughtfully at the equally bare canvas in front of him. The small jars of paint he had bought were carefully arrayed around him, his palette next to them, his wing-marked brushes at his side, and yet he hesitated.

Did he dare? As he had told Daisuke what seemed to be a lifetime ago, Hikari artwork was power, and no matter the intention, it always seemed that innocents suffered as a result of that power.

On the other hand, did he dare not? The loss of Dark had ripped a hole in Daisuke's soul that Satoshi knew he could not fill. This was the only way he knew that he could help. Daisuke was spiraling down in an ever-deepening circle of depression, and there was nothing that Satoshi could say to ease his pain. His current efforts to help Daisuke were obviously less than enough, and Satoshi knew that he was no psychologist. And no real psychologist would be qualified to help Daisuke's unique circumstances.

So it really came down to a simple choice. Did he trust that his feelings for Daisuke would keep the art from causing harm?

This was the only thing that Satoshi knew he could do. When the only other alternative was to do nothing, there was no choice at all.

He took a deep breath and dipped his brush.


	84. Chapter 5: April

AN: Before we go, we did want to say thanks to all the people who have stuck with us throughout this entire massive project.

Ihni, voldysXangel, kahuffstix, mikoamaya-hikari , The Oblivious Captain Anna, inu-youkai 911, KittyMojo, Kaguranne, FlashDrive, Rio Hime, Wind91Rider, and so many others.

ASN: You've been with us all the way, and we so loved having you along for the ride.

AN: We don't often answer reviews, being horrible people—

ASN: We have enough trouble posting on time.

AN: --But we want you, everyone, to know that we do read your reviews and we appreciate your comments. Thank you all. Without you, we never would have gotten this far.

ASN: Thank you all.

**Chapter 5: April**

"Niwa-kun."

Daisuke turned to see Satoshi standing by the stairs. "What is it, Satoshi?"

"There's something I want to show you," the pale-haired teen said simply, gesturing up the stairs.

Daisuke grinned. "A surprise present, huh?"

Satoshi gave him his old implacable deadpan, but a hint of nervous apprehension lurked behind the ice-blue eyes.

The redhead's humor faded at seeing the normally unflappable Satoshi uneasy. The last time Satoshi had approached him with this amount of anxiety, he'd learned that his girlfriend was his cousin. "Are you okay?" Daisuke asked in concern.

Satoshi looked surprised at first, but then smiled. "I'm fine, Niwa-kun, I just have something for you upstairs."

"Oh," Daisuke said, relieved. He held up a finger to signal Satoshi to wait for a second and poked his head into the kitchen.

His mom was stirring something on the stove, the twins were peering into the oven through the glass door, and Towa, in her bird form, was gleefully stringing streamers all over the room. She squawked when she noticed him.

"Dai-chan! Out of the kitchen!" the maid said, waving a wing at him chidingly. "You're not allowed to come back until we have your birthday cake decorated!"

Daisuke waved his hands reassuringly. "I just wanted to tell you that Hiwatari-kun and I are heading upstairs, so yell for us whenever you're ready, okay?"

"Fine," Emiko said, sounding distracted. "Have fun; don't destroy anything."

Daisuke smiled as he slipped back out into the living room. "Ready when you are," he said cheerfully.

Satoshi nodded and headed upstairs. Daisuke followed, curious. The older teen opened the bedroom door, stepping in and aside so Daisuke could precede him.

Daisuke stepped into the room, and his gaze was instantly captured by the covered easel set up in the middle of the floor.

Shocked, he turned to gaze at Satoshi. "You…painted something? For me?"

Satoshi shifted his weight uncomfortably and nodded towards the painting.

A shy, pleased smile crossed the redhead's face. "Thank you, Satoshi," he said softly. "I know how important this is to you."

A tiny smile and almost imperceptible relaxation was Satoshi's response, and he again nodded in the direction of the painting. "Go on."

Daisuke crossed the room to the easel and slowly pulled the sheet off the painting underneath.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The background of the painting was immediately recognizable as being from the same newspaper clipping Daisuke had carried with him; however, the depth and clarity of the stars and lighted buildings gave the painting a sense of realism that had been lost in the blurred photograph.

And in this painting, Dark was fully and triumphantly illuminated. The light of the police spotlight was harsh, as in real life, but it only highlighted the texture of the feathers in his wings and glinted off the random buckles and straps on Dark's purplish-black outfit.

But the most impressive part of the painting was the expression on Dark's face. Satoshi had captured the peculiar mix of impishness, arrogance, and absolute, manic glee that had been always reflected in Dark's eyes. The smirk that curved the thief's lips was instantly recognizable as the one he always wore when he had pulled a particularly satisfying and spectacular heist—and had managed to outwit the police once again.

It was the most perfect, most accurate picture of Dark that had ever been recorded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Satoshi swallowed nervously as Daisuke continued to stare at the painting without saying a word. Maybe this had been a bad idea, after all.

Then Daisuke turned around, and the look in his eyes said more than words could ever express. "Satoshi…"

"I know that you miss him," Satoshi said softly, glancing down at the floor, "and I know that I can't replace him. But I hope this helps."

A touch on his shoulder prompted him to look up, and Daisuke was smiling at him, only a few centimeters away. "Satoshi…I…"

"Just kiss him already," a voice interrupted.

Surprised, Satoshi and Daisuke jerked apart and whirled towards the stairs. A flash of movement caught Satoshi's eye, and he turned towards it.

His painting was now minus one phantom thief.

Beside him, Daisuke gasped.

Satoshi followed Daisuke's gaze to his desk, where said missing thief was sitting cross-legged on top of Daisuke's homework. "Miss me?"

Daisuke's mouth dropped; Satoshi's eyes narrowed. "Dark? How?" the redhead stuttered.

The thief opened his mouth, but Satoshi was the one who answered. "The painting."

"A beautiful recreation, I must say," Dark said cheerfully. "Only a Hikari could paint my level of arrogance so well."

Satoshi folded his arms across his chest, keeping his outer façade calm although his mind was racing. "It was merely the result of having studied your face for almost a year."

"And you put it to good use. Without that level of accuracy, I could never have used it to return."

Daisuke stepped forward, worried. "Return from where? Are you okay?"  
The smirk softened into a real smile as the thief climbed off the desk and looked at Daisuke. "Never better. How about you?"

"Me? I…" Daisuke shook his head and took an unsteady step towards Dark, then another, until he practically flew at Dark, slinging his arms around the surprised phantom thief.

Dark put his hands on Daisuke's shoulders and looked down at him worriedly. "Daisuke?"

The redhead looked back up at him, eyes wet with unshed tears. "I can see you."

A smile spread across Dark's face, and he returned the hug, squeezing the younger boy gently. "When did you get so tall?"

A frown furrowed Satoshi's brow as he studied the pair. "Interesting."

He hadn't realized that he had said it out loud until the other two turned to look at him. "What's interesting, Commander?" Dark asked curiously. "I'm not going to run off with him, if that's what you think."   
Satoshi scowled. "No. I find it more unusual that you have returned through my painting. I am not your creator; logically, whatever I paint should have a personality of its own, if anything. And I deliberately tried to avoid doing that."

Daisuke frowned. "He's right. The art the Hikari create have their own lives."

"Not…quite," Dark shook his head.

And that's when Satoshi realized that his 'mad' ancestor Hikari Akio had been right all along. "The art are portals."

"And your rather perfect recreation of myself, in all my glory, allowed me—and only me—to return. Krad was rather unhappy about being left behind, but I was tired of his bitching anyway."

"We banished the Black Wings," Satoshi said slowly, beginning to understand. "But you're not a part of it anymore. That's why you could return through the painting alone."

"When Hiwatari separated us, he did so permanently. Krad and I could never become whole." The thief smiled deprecatingly. "Of course, I don't have nearly as much power as a painting compared to being half of the Black Wings, but I can improvise.""So…you're really from another dimension or something?" Daisuke asked bemusedly, still thrown by the utter reversal of everything he'd thought he knew about Hikari art.

"Well, it's actually another plane, but you're essentially right." The thief grinned wickedly. "I mean, come on. Did you really think that a clan as boring and straight-laced as the Hikari could have created me? Even by accident?"

"I'd wondered about Towa," Satoshi said distantly.

There was a brief moment of silence as the three stared at each other.

"Well!" Dark said brightly. "You two have your moment, I'm gonna go down and tell Emiko the good news!"

The phantom thief bounded down the stairs, and Daisuke and Satoshi stared at each other wordlessly.

Then faintly, from downstairs, they heard Dark's cheerful "Emiko! Riku, Risa! I'm back!"

There was an abrupt scream and the crash of what sounded suspiciously like birthday cake hitting the floor. "What are you?! Demon!"

Dark gave a startled squawk. "I'm not—it's **me**, not a demon!"

Emiko no longer sounded scared. Instead, she sounded angry. Very angry. "Kosuke! Something's impersonating Dark! Kill it!"

Daisuke sank down onto the sofa, the shock that had been keeping him immobile beginning to fade. Satoshi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose above his glasses. He could practically see the generations of Hikari ancestors spinning in their graves.

"Daiki! Tell her it's me!" Dark begged from downstairs.

"Who **are** you? I don't know you!"

"Daiki?" Dark sounded a little lost, but his next words were slightly more panicked. "Whoa—Kosuke, put the amulet down!"

Daisuke started laughing helplessly.

After a moment, Satoshi couldn't help himself and began to laugh softly as well. He sat down on the couch next to the redhead. "When I made you the painting, this wasn't what I had in mind…"

Daisuke was still smiling when he gently reached over and took Satoshi's hand. "This was the best birthday present you could have ever gotten me. You have no idea how much this means," he said softly.

Satoshi banished the ghosts of mortified Hikari ancestors from his mind and merely stared at the redhead in front of him. "I'm glad you like it," he said simply.

Daisuke blinked at him, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. He gave Satoshi's hand a sharp tug, pulling him closer, and kissed him soundly.

After a moment, he drew back, still grinning fondly. "You know I love you."

Satoshi felt his eyes go impossibly wide at the declaration and could not move as Daisuke stood up.

"Come on," the younger teen said cheerfully and held out a hand. "We should probably go downstairs and rescue Dark."

Somewhat numbly, Satoshi put his hand in Daisuke's and let the redhead help him up. They got to the head of the stairs before Satoshi finally got to his senses and stopped.

Daisuke stopped as well and looked at him quizzically.

"Daisuke," he began softly, then stopped, at a loss for words.

The younger teen smiled and reached up to tenderly brush Satoshi's bangs away from his eyes, trailing his fingers down the taller boy's cheek. "I know," he said simply, a look of understanding in his eyes.

Satoshi pulled the redhead into his arms and held him close. Daisuke wrapped his arms around him in return and the two stood like that for a moment.

"Niwa Daisuke!" Emiko yelled from below. "Get down here this instant and explain to me exactly what is going on!"

Daisuke laughed and pulled away, still holding Satoshi's hand. "Coming!"

The redhead started down the stairs, Satoshi a step behind, smiling slightly.

Satoshi wasn't sure what was going to happen next. He wasn't sure what Dark would do now that he had returned. He didn't know what this new revelation about Hikari art would mean for all of them.

He did know that his life would never be normal, but that was okay; it had never been normal before.

In any case, it would be…interesting.


End file.
